Maybe it’s my algo but I’ve been seeing a flood of content lately about “free AI tools that make you passive income.”
You know the type - someone claims they built a faceless YouTube channel, or an Etsy shop, or an affiliate site using nothing but ChatGPT, Canva, and a few Chrome extensions… and suddenly they’re “making money while they sleep.”
Every time I see one of those videos, I have two reactions at once:
- Excitement, because the tools are genuinely powerful. I’ve used ChatGPT to draft articles and brainstorm product ideas, and it does save time.
- Skepticism, because “free” and “passive” rarely go together. If you’re not paying in money, you’re probably paying in hours, frustration, or constant tweaking.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been experimenting - nothing crazy, just testing what could actually work at zero cost. I’ve tried building a simple site with a free AI builder and got it up and running in under an hour … it’s not bad either! Also been testing Notion AI for blog outlines and idea management.
The verdict so far: these tools help, but they don’t do the work for you.
What I’m trying to figure out now is how to chain them together into something that runs mostly on autopilot - not “make money while you sleep,” but maybe “make progress while you’re at your day job.”
So I wanted to ask - has anyone here managed to build something semi-passive using free AI tools only? Was there much coding involved and if so, how easy is it to ‘vibe code’ a Wordpress plugin, for example?
I’ll post any wins I have here on the forum but if anyone can steer me even vaguely in the right direction, I’m all ears!
@terryhutchins Great question, Terry - and I’ve been knee-deep (well, ankle-deep lately 
) in this exact rabbit hole.
A few months back I started tinkering with a setup using Google Sheets + Python + OpenAI API + AWS, aiming to build a fully automated rewriting and publishing system. The idea was simple on paper:
- Drop source content into a Google Sheet (URLs, summaries, or scraped snippets).
- A Python script (triggered via Apps Script or AWS Lambda) calls the Open AI API to rewrite each piece based on a few custom prompts - tone, word count, internal linking, etc.
- The rewritten version gets cleaned up (metadata, formatting, title suggestions) and pushed straight to AWS S3 or even a basic WordPress REST endpoint if needed.
When it’s working, it’s like pure magic. You literally watch the cells fill with rewritten content while your coffee’s still hot. ☕
But, like most "passive" systems, it only stays passive after a lot of active building and debugging. My current hurdles:
- Managing rate limits from the OpenAI API (the Sheets triggers sometimes fire too fast).
- Keeping prompt consistency - the tone drifts over long batches.
- Handling HTML output properly when pushing to AWS.
Development’s slowed a bit lately - family stuff pulled me offline mid-dev, but I’m planning to pick it back up soon. The structure’s there, and I’m convinced the workflow can scale once it’s refined.
The cool part is that everything so far has been built with free or near-free tools (barring API usage). Google Sheets handles data management surprisingly well, and AWS free tier can take you pretty far if you’re smart with triggers and storage.
If you’re thinking about automating your workflow, even a partial version (like Sheets + ChatGPT rewrites saved to Drive) can save hours.
Happy to share my scripts once I dust them off - or maybe we can make it a little DMC community build-along if there’s interest. This stuff gets a lot easier once you see the logic flow end-to-end.
Okay, Rohan… I’ve got to admit, I’m buzzing reading your reply!
This is exactly the kind of thing I dream about building, but then I hit the word “Python” and my brain quietly packs a bag and leaves the room 
The setup you’ve described sounds incredible - like proper digital alchemy. Almost what I had running around in my head while I try to get off to sleep at night! … it’s the kind of “quiet money machine in the background” workflow I’ve been chasing for years.
My only hesitation (and maybe others here feel the same) is the tech. I can write content, optimize posts, even hack around in WordPress - but the moment code gets involved, I start feeling like I need a translator.
What I love though is that we’re now at a point where AI can actually bridge that gap. I’ve been testing a few “explain this code to me like I’m five” prompts in ChatGPT, and it’s insane how far you can get without knowing how to code properly. It’ll literally walk you through each line and even rewrite it for your exact setup if you ask nicely enough.
So I’m wondering… do you think it’s realistic for someone non-technical (but stubborn enough to Google their way through everything) to recreate your workflow without hiring a coder? Like, could I have ChatGPT basically coach me through setting this up step by step?
I feel like we’re right on the edge of something huge here - where “automation” stops being a coder’s playground and becomes something anyone can piece together with the right prompts.
Seriously, man - your setup sounds like science fiction made real. If you do share those scripts or even a simplified version, I’d be first in line to try out the beta!
(Also, I’m going to be staring at my empty Google Sheet now, pretending it’s full of future rewritten gold )
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do you think it’s realistic for someone non-technical (but stubborn enough to Google their way through everything) to recreate your workflow without hiring a coder? Like, could I have ChatGPT basically coach me through setting this up step by step?
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Haha, love it ... that is the question, Terry - and you’ve basically described exactly how I built the thing in the first place.
When I say I’m using Python, AWS, and APIs, it probably sounds like I’ve got a full dev team hiding in the garden shed. But honestly, it was just me, ChatGPT, and an irresponsible amount of freshly brewed coffee :-)
I started with nothing more than: “Hey GPT, I want to make Google Sheets talk to ChatGPT, rewrite some text, and publish it somewhere online. How would I even start?”
That one question snowballed into a weekend-long crash course in automation. ChatGPT literally became my tutor, my pair programmer, and occasionally my therapist when the AWS permissions started fighting back ... lol
It walked me through everything - line by line, file by file. Things like:
- Setting up & running Python Anywhere.
-
How to connect Sheets with a Python script.
-
"This is the safest way to store your API key"
And the best part? When I hit a wall, instead of disappearing into 3-hour YouTube tutorials from 2017, I’d just paste the error message back into GPT and go, “Okay, what now, sensei?” 😅
... and it just debugs it!
The truth is, what used to take months of piecing together random Stack Overflow answers can now be done in a weekend - if you knuckle down, ask the right questions, and treat GPT like your personal (and very patient) coding mentor.
You don’t need to know code. You just need to know what you want to build. GPT fills in the rest. Your only real limit these days, is you imagination (and API tokens!)
So yes - 100% realistic. You could absolutely get this running without hiring anyone. I’d say your main bottleneck won’t be coding... it’ll be resisting the urge to over-engineer it once it works. (Ask me how I know) .. ha ha!
Think of it like the non-coder’s version of a dev bootcamp, but taught by an AI that doesn’t judge your typos.
Honestly, we’ve reached a point where "learning to code" isn’t even the right phrase anymore - it’s more like learning to communicate with your assistant properly.
... otherwise known as "vibe coding" as I found out fairly recently! It's difficult keeping up with all the terminology!
@terryhutchins This is fascinating stuff, guys - I’ve been going down a similar rabbit hole lately, though I haven’t built anything yet (still in the “scribbles in a notebook and too many browser tabs” phase ).
I’ve been exploring the idea of setting up AI agents for content and marketing automation, similar to what Rohan’s described - but through a slightly more “plug-and-play” lens. My goal is to find a setup that someone like me (who’s not super technical but can follow logic) can maintain without babysitting it every day.
The vision I’ve got looks something like this:
- A content planner agent that pulls ideas from keyword data or even Reddit trends.
- A writer agent that drafts and formats posts via ChatGPT or Claude.
- A publisher agent that posts straight to WordPress or social platforms via APIs.
It’s basically the “hands-off marketing assistant” version of what I wish I had five years ago when I was drowning in content tasks while trying to keep my Amazon business running and the kids asleep at the same time.
What’s blowing my mind is how much of this can now be done with free tools or low-cost integrations. I’ve been playing with Make (formerly Integromat), and it’s honestly incredible how easy it is to hook things up visually. You can say “when I add a row in Google Sheets, generate a post with ChatGPT, then send it to WordPress” - and it just works.
I haven’t wired it all together yet, but reading what you guys are building makes me want to stop overthinking and actually start. I’m thinking of setting aside a weekend to build a simple prototype - just something that takes a content idea, generates a blog post draft, and pushes it to a private WP install.
Totally agree with Rohan’s point that GPT is like a full-time mentor now. You can literally say “build me the Python version of this” or “convert this Zapier flow into a script” and it’ll do 90% of the work. The only thing left is having a clear end goal (and maybe enough coffee to keep going).
If any of you are up for it, I’d love to join in on that community build-along idea. I think between Rohan’s scripts, Terry’s curiosity, and a few of us testing visual automation tools, we could actually get something live pretty fast.
We’re entering a really fun era here - where AI stops being a novelty and becomes part of our daily systems. I’m all in on building the kind of “quiet background” workflows that give you back hours of your life.
Ok - mind well and truly blown 🤯
I was thinking this was going to be another 'sell custom mugs' on Etsy thread (no offense to those selling custom mugs on Etsy - lol)
But this is like on another level. My thoughts are racing with the possibilities here!
Hey everyone,
I’ve been playing around with building a very simple tool — a countdown timer — using no code skill, just free ChatGPT.
I didn’t write any code; just asked ChatGPT to help me.
That experience made me think there is some potential in creating tools that help people do things more efficiently.
That said, I worry about whether I’d have enough discipline to stick with it.
So one thing I’d like to try is joining or forming a small “mastermind / accountability group” with other people who are building or trying similar things — so we hold each other responsible and keep momentum.
My idea has been to build a tool to help repurpose content — maybe converting a blog post into social posts, video scripts, etc.
But I realize it might be a long shot unless done well.
I’m curious: is there interest among you folks in collaborating on something like this?
Maybe some of us could build a very minimal version together, test it locally, share feedback, and see if there is demand (and potential to monetize).
Just asking — would love to hear what others think, whether this kind of tool seems useful, and whether anyone else would want to join something like a joint tool or mastermind for this.
I am also open to any other idea/tool.
Hey Mike,
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I didn’t write any code; just asked ChatGPT to help me.
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When I first realised just how profound this concept is, I didn't get much sleep that night and I drove my wife mad talking about automating content production with the setup I mentioned :-)
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That experience made me think there is some potential in creating tools that help people do things more efficiently.
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I think there is potential. Not everyone wants to get into vibe coding, even though it's about as easy to do as boiling an egg! The trick is to work out how you're going to differentiate yourself from all the other Custom GPTs already out there that achieve the same end result. Without wanting to rain on your parade Mike, there are umpteen content repurposing solutions out there already.
I think you'd need to do some serious brainstorming to come up with a truly unique solution to a real problem people face. Most of the ideas I've had already exist! But, I guess t'was ever thus. Maybe it's just about positioning and marketing!
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Whether anyone else would want to join something like a joint tool or mastermind for this.
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I'm definitely open to the idea. My biggest limiting factor at the moment though is time. I'm just not sure I would be able to devote the hours that are needed on top of my existing commitments.
But I honestly don't want to put you off getting something together Mike. Happy to mooch about at the sidelines offering some advice ;-)