--- title: "Scammers Are Already Convincing Idiots They Can Get Rich Using ChatGPT" description: "Not the Hustle Bros Extremely bad news. The Verge is reporting that the \"Hustle Bros\" — you know, the grown men with the very loud, dollar-sign-covered YouTube thumbnails — are very much aware of OpenAI's ChatGPT, and very much want to convince followers that they can use the tech to make tens of thousands of […]" date: "2023-02-05" modified: "2023-02-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scammers-get-rich-chatgpt" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai" - "chatgpt" - "the digest" - "youtubers" --- # Scammers Are Already Convincing Idiots They Can Get Rich Using ChatGPT ![The Verge is reporting that the "Hustle Bros" — you know, the grown men with the very loud YouTube thumbnails — have discovered OpenAI's ChatGPT.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Not Them Extremely bad news. *The Verge* [is reporting]() that the "Hustle Bros" — you know, the grown men with the very loud, dollar-sign-covered YouTube thumbnails — are very much aware of OpenAI's ChatGPT, and very much want to convince followers that they can use the tech to make tens of thousands of dollars overnight. This is an unfortunate development. Take the time that you need to digest. But alas, it's true. Led by Hustle-Bro-in-Chief Gary Vaynerchuk, the YouTube boys are here to let you know that ChatGPT can magically help you [create newsletters](), [write non-fiction books to sell on Amazon](), [invest in real estate](), [generate scripts for video content](), and more. "I've made over $20 million in my business... over the last many years," [says]() someone named Hayden Bowles, before adding the baseless claim that "as crazy as it sounds, that number would be at least double if I had \[ChatGPT\] along the way." Thanks. We're sure. Anyway. ## Hype Cycle Of course, an influencer's job is to play into the hype cycle. And right now, that cycle, as the *Verge* notes, is fixated firmly on ChatGPT and other generative AI. While it's unclear how much money (if any) the hustlers have actually made from the ChatGPT applications that they're preaching, these guys aren't actually in the business of becoming ChatGPT millionaires themselves. They make their cash through virality clout, clicks, eyeballs, and online courses, whether ChatGPT ends up generating significant cash for followers or not. In a gold rush, as they say, sell shovels. And surprisingly, as the *Verge* also points out, pretty much any mention of AI ethics — whether [you should tell]() clients you're [using AI](), for example, or if should be wary of [AI-generated plagiarism]() — is noticeably missing from these videos. On the note of ethics, YouTube hustlers are also very unlikely to be liable if, say, the chatbot, which is notoriously [terrible at math and finance](), gives you bad [investing advice](). It's all a little depressing, and not just because people like Bowles are promising that anything ChatGPT-generated "is perfect," which is an [*outright* *falsehood*](), in the same breath that they say you no longer need to develop "the skill" because you "have the AI." It's depressing because these videos are flaming hot garbage, and only beget the creation of *more* flaming hot — [and AI-generated]() — garbage. Sigh. See you all on the other side of [SEO spam hell](). **READ MORE:** [*Hustle bros are jumping on the AI bandwagon*]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on ChatGPT:** [*ChatGPT Is Freakishly Good at Spitting out Misinformation on Purpose*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()