✍️ Introduction
Since the explosive rise of generative AI in 2023, the phrase "AI utilization" has become a buzzword in tech and business circles. Every week, someone new claims to be an expert on how to make money using ChatGPT, Midjourney, or other AI tools.
But here's the truth:
The first people to jump on the AI bandwagon weren’t engineers. They weren’t real practitioners either.
They were info-product gurus. Former “passive income” marketers. Hustlers.
This article exposes how the same crowd that once sold “earn \$10k/month blogging” or “Amazon FBA masterclasses” has now rebranded as AI experts—without building, shipping, or understanding the tools themselves.
They’re not selling results. They’re selling the experience of touching AI, wrapped in slick packaging and inflated promises.
🧨 The First-Wow Sellers: Selling the Sensation
"I typed it in, and the AI actually wrote it!"
That’s the kind of excitement you get the first time you use ChatGPT. But it’s a party trick. And it wears off quickly.
So what do the AI hustlers do? They bottle that first wow, make a YouTube short, throw together a workshop, or launch a course. The message? “You too can get in early and profit.”
But after that initial demo, there's no infrastructure. No context. No system.
They sell the thrill of pressing the button—not the design behind what should happen next.
📦 Prompt Pack Peddlers: Selling Templates as Transformation
The next step in the hustle is to offer “Prompt Packs,” cheat sheets, or "Prompt Engineering Blueprints."
The problem? These so-called templates are often:
- Recycled from public sources (including ChatGPT's own help pages)
- Contextless (ignoring task type, model behavior, or business use case)
- Masked as “strategic” when they’re just generic commands
They make people feel ready, but deliver nothing scalable. The result? A pile of prompts that don't solve real problems—and no way to bridge the gap between input and outcome.
🤝 AI Discords & Mastermind Circles: Selling Belonging
Once the templates lose steam, enter community.
“Let’s learn together.” “Join our AI journey.” “Become part of the future.”
These Discord servers or private Slack groups are framed as learning spaces, but many are little more than echo chambers. A place to repost tips, share generic GPT outputs, and pretend momentum equals mastery.
It’s not learning. It’s ambient productivity theater.
Of course, there’s value in community—but not when it's sold as transformation, and not when nobody in the group is shipping anything real.
🪜 High-Ticket Backends: When the Real Product is You Paying More
The final form is the \$500/month AI course or coaching program.
These are pitched as “your shortcut to AI mastery.” In reality:
- They regurgitate prompt guides already sold elsewhere
- Lack real-world deployment or case studies
- Focus more on up-selling than up-skilling
You're not buying knowledge. You're buying proximity. And like any modern MLM, the goal is not mastery—it’s getting you to sell the same story.
💬 The Punchline
"AI hustlers aren't creating with AI.
They're creating stories about making money with AI."
Final Thought
AI isn't magic, and using it doesn't make you a visionary. Real value lies in design, context, and thoughtful use—not in performing tech fluency for internet points.
So next time someone says “I’ll show you how to profit from AI”…
Ask them what they’ve actually built.
Article originally published in Japanese: 現代のマルチ──AI活用屋という幻想
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