AI content editing is the hot freelance side hustle as businesses and individuals look to give their ChatGPT content a 'human touch'

• Fiverr searches for AI-content editing have spiked over 10,000% in the last six months.
• Businesses are looking to give their ChatGPT-generated content a "human touch."

Generative AI could displace some jobs in the future, but for now, it's creating some work for others.

That's according to a new report from the online-freelance platform Fiverr, which highlighted the digital services that have recently surged in popularity.

In the past six months, Fiverr searches by businesses and individuals for freelancers with AI-content-editing skills increased by over 10,000% worldwide compared to the prior six-month period, including growth of over 7,000% in the US.

A Fiverr representative told Insider that pay for these projects varies, but typically starts at about $100 to $125.

When it comes to AI-content editing, many of these searches came from businesses looking to "legitimize AI-generated content" created with tools such as ChatGPT, the representative said. Customers might ask freelancers to fine-tune AI-generated marketing materials or to optimize AI content for search engines.

"For many busy small-business owners and entrepreneurs who use AI to generate content, there is a worry that their content will get penalized by search engines or that their pieces won't read well to their target audience," the representative said. "AI-content-editing services ensure that there is always a human touch and that nothing is lost in translation when it comes to AI-generated content."

The representative also cited editing AI-generated slide decks used in business presentations as another example.

"Before the proliferation of AI, you needed a person to write the text, build the graphics," the representative said. "As one Fiverr freelancer told us, now with AI, entire presentations can be built off of one headline."

ChatGPT's flaws could lead the demand for AI-editing skills to grow further

Businesses could be turning to AI-generated content for a variety of reasons. In August, Time Magazine reported that the New York City-based urgent-care clinic Nao Medical, likely in an effort to boost its placement in internet-search results, had flooded its website with articles such as, "Why Are Unicorns Healthier Than Dragons."

As more students and businesses dabble with generative AI, demand for content-editing services could continue to grow. Despite ChatGPT's impressive capabilities, it's been known to, at some times, provide misinformation. And even when it does get the facts right, it's not always the best writer.

However, there's a potential downside to the growth of these AI opportunities for some freelancers, Sheraz Shoukat, an Australia-based Fiverr freelancer who offers a variety of writing services, including AI-content-editing, told Insider.

He hasn't done much AI editing work so far and believes the widespread adoption of technology like ChatGPT will lead to less demand for freelance writing services.

"It has way more negative impact on our earnings," he said.

Content editing isn't the only AI skill that's seen a spike in interest on Fiverr. Over the last six months, searches for "prompt engineering" and "AI video" grew by over 7,000% and 3,000% worldwide, respectively. The starting pay for these gigs can be much higher than AI-content editing — up to $5,000 per project.

Are you a freelancer who's getting paid to do work related to generative AI and willing to share your story? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@insider.com.