Summary
Nate Herk ranks 13 businesses you can start with AI, from worst to best, drawing on his own experience and on people he knows who run them. Each is scored out of five on three criteria: how technical the work is, whether the market has more buyers than sellers, and how durable the business is over the long run.
AI SaaS lands at the bottom as the hardest place to start. Roughly 560,000 new apps hit the App Store in the first half of the year while downloads barely moved, and thin wrappers are vulnerable to platform updates. Faceless AI channels and AI websites follow, with notes on why YouTube’s stance on mass-produced content and the pricing pressure on agencies matter. Higher up are AI receptionists, where vendors like Podium, ServiceTitan, and Weave are building competing features into their own products, and AI automation and integration work, which is growing fast, with Upwork postings up 187%, but is becoming commoditized.
The list also covers AI workshops, which typically bring in $1,000 to $5,000 per engagement, and explains why they often lead to larger projects. Prices are presented as what businesses charge rather than earnings promises, and the rankings are openly subjective. The video is useful for anyone weighing which AI service model to pursue.
📺 Source: Nate Herk | AI Automation · Published November 05, 2026
🏷️ Format: Opinion Editorial
