Summary
Sharbel A. ranks what he calls the only nine legitimate ways to make money with AI in 2026, grading each method on a tier list from S (would build today) to F (avoid entirely), based entirely on strategies he has personally executed inside his own businesses. Rather than echoing generic guru advice, he grounds each recommendation in specific outcomes: AI automation increased his company’s revenue by $50,000 per month, while other experiments lost thousands.
The methods covered include AI-powered lead generation and scoring (A tier with niche focus, otherwise crowded), chatbot-based lead qualification and routing, AI-assisted content creation for founder personal brands, and faceless AI YouTube channels — which he rates low due to weak competitive moats and platform risk. He illustrates the lead qualification category with a concrete story: his Hermes AI agent autonomously handled inbound sponsor emails during a vacation, closing a $12,000 client with five minutes of setup.
A recurring theme throughout is that AI amplifies targeting quality in both directions — it makes bad outreach faster and more damaging, not just good outreach more efficient. The video is a practical reality check on monetization hype, consistently distinguishing between generic volume-based approaches (rated low) and niche-specific applications tied to measurable business outcomes (rated high). Useful for anyone evaluating AI service businesses or internal automation investments in 2026.
📺 Source: Sharbel A. · Published July 19, 2026
🏷️ Format: Opinion Editorial
