I Asked ChatGPT To Explain How To Make Money Without Working: Here’s What It Said

Nicole Spector

Thu, Jun 5, 2025, 10:02 AM 4 min read

Ah, ChatGPT, how did we once, just a few years ago, live without you? You do so much — more than we imagined possible. You have the power to pass advanced exams in virtually every field. Some people use you as a personal assistant. Others, go so far as to turn to you for therapy (a controversial trend, but a trend nonetheless). What many of us use you most for is to provide accessible answers to complex questions. And to offer ideas we may not have thought of on our own.

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And so we turn to you during this time of economic turbulence when even people making six-figure salaries may be living paycheck to paycheck and are wondering, “How can I make money without working?” What are your answers, ChatGPT? Let’s find out.

A tried and true way to generate passive income is investing. ChatGPT surfaced the idea of investing in stocks or funds.

“Buying dividend-paying stocks or investing in index funds can generate income over time,” the chatbot explained. “Dividends provide regular payments, and capital gains add long-term growth.”

Some of the world’s wealthiest people, such as Warren Buffett and George Soros, grew their multibillion-dollar fortunes through investing.

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ChatGPT pointed to owning real estate as a proven way to make money without working. Real estate can be a sturdy hedge against inflation, as it generally appreciates over time, and you can profit off it by renting a home out. Of course, you’ll need the upfront capital to make such a large purchase. Examples of ultra-wealthy people who champion real estate investing are Robert Kiyosaki and Barbara Corcoran.

ChatGPT cited placing money in HYSAs as one way to make money without working. Absolutely you should be putting your emergency savings in a HYSA, so that it generates interest, but this is one of the weaker ways to make money because you just won’t make very much. Right now, the highest HYSA rates banks offer are between 4% and 5%.

In the same short paragraph highlighting the money-earning potential of placing money in HYSAs, ChatGPT touched on putting money in government bonds. It’s odd that ChatGPT would group HYSAs with bonds, as bonds are very different money-making vessels. Firstly, they’re investments, not bank accounts. They’re generally considered very safe investments, but they’re not terribly profitable. As of March, 20-year T-bonds offered an interest rate of 4.750%, while 30-year T-bonds offered 4.625%, according to Motley Fool Mone.