What happens when you hand your freelancing business to an AI agent
Everyone in tech circles is buzzing about AI agents, self-directed digital assistants said to be the future of work. Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM’s Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, told me earlier this year that these tools will soon act as hybrid teammates, capable of executing complex tasks on our behalf.
“Now, managers will need to know how to lead humans and how to lead a team of AI agents,” she explained.
“Now, managers will need to know how to lead humans and how to lead a team of AI agents,” she explained.
AI agents are moving beyond chat into execution, capable of handling tasks once reserved for assistants or junior employees. ChatGPT’s Agent mode provided surprisingly detailed business development strategies when tested against a live LinkedIn profile. Freelancers and side hustlers across Asia could use agentic AI to win clients, create campaigns, and grow revenue streams.
It’s a striking thought: logging into your laptop and being greeted not just by Slack pings from colleagues but by half-human, half-digital co-workers. Yet adoption is already accelerating. According to Upwork’s May 2025 survey of 3,000 knowledge workers, 54% of freelancers report advanced skill with AI tools, compared with 38% of full-time employees. More than 60% of freelancers now use AI several times per week, up from just 20% in January 2024.
That backdrop was enough to spark my curiosity. With OpenAI releasing its new ChatGPT Agent mode, I wanted to see if it could genuinely help me make money online, or whether it would turn out to be just another piece of tech hype.
What exactly is an AI agent?
An AI agent is not just another chatbot. McKinsey defines them as interactive tools that automate and perform complex tasks, such as processing language, orchestrating workflows, and coordinating across multiple agents.
Think of it as an employee who never sleeps, one who can:
Orchestrate multi-step workflows,Apply reasoning to tricky problems,Evaluate responses and adjust based on outcomes
And crucially, one who can be trained for your exact freelance niche.
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Putting ChatGPT Agent to work
I decided to put ChatGPT Agent mode through a very specific freelancing task: optimising my LinkedIn profile to attract higher-value clients. The process was simple enough:
What followed was impressive. The agent opened a browsing tab, navigated my profile, and returned a list of ten practical changes. One stood out:
“Emphasise measurable results in experience entries. Spell out metrics that matter to high‑net‑worth clients: revenue growth, portfolio size, geographies served. Incorporate achievements such as ‘grew coaching business to $300K+ revenue in 2024’ or ‘secured Fortune‑500 clients.’”
“Emphasise measurable results in experience entries. Spell out metrics that matter to high‑net‑worth clients: revenue growth, portfolio size, geographies served. Incorporate achievements such as ‘grew coaching business to $300K+ revenue in 2024’ or ‘secured Fortune‑500 clients.’”
This was a level of tailored business advice I would normally expect from a pricey consultant. By reframing existing experience with concrete financial and client metrics, the AI had surfaced a powerful lever for credibility.
Can AI agents really help you earn more?
In short: yes, but with caveats. I tested further by asking the agent to identify potential contacts for paid speaking engagements. While it couldn’t bypass LinkedIn’s privacy restrictions, it did suggest that I log in manually, after which it scanned my network and highlighted ten high-value decision-makers. It even drafted outreach templates.
There are limits. ChatGPT Agent mode, for example, can stumble on CAPTCHAs or sites with stricter security checks. But once you step in as the human counterpart, the collaboration is surprisingly seamless.
Practical ways freelancers in Asia can use AI agents
Here are a few areas where freelancers across the region can immediately deploy agentic AI:
Research & reports: draft market analyses and insights for clients in Singapore, Jakarta, or Mumbai.,Marketing campaigns: generate multi-platform content calendars, visuals, and ad copy tailored to specific industries.,Outreach & lead generation: identify prospective clients, draft pitches, and manage follow-up workflows.,Operations: automate invoice tracking, email management, and routine admin.
The key is to start by asking: What would I delegate to a personal assistant if I could afford one? Then hand that to an AI agent, refining its output with your own expertise.
Will I use it again?
Absolutely. While agentic AI is not flawless, it’s already capable of saving hours of grunt work, surfacing valuable insights, and multiplying the reach of a one-person business. For freelancers in Asia juggling multiple gigs or side hustles, this could mean the difference between surviving and scaling. You can learn more about how to How People Really Use AI in 2025.
The bigger question may not be whether these tools can help us make money, but how quickly the market will adapt once clients expect freelancers to have AI agents at their disposal. The rise of these tools also highlights the importance of understanding your non-machine premium.
Would you trust an AI agent to handle your business outreach or career strategy, or do you still prefer human judgment for those tasks? For further reading on the potential impact of AI agents on the workforce, you can refer to reports from organizations like the World Economic Forum on the Future of Jobs^ https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/.
Latest Comments (2)
This is quite the interesting read! I appreciate the real-world application, especially for us folks in Asia looking for new opportunities. One thing that struck me – and maybe it's just my Indian perspective – is the 'revenue potential' aspect. The article touches on it, but I’m curious, did the AI agent demonstrate genuine negotiation skills when it came to pricing or did it mostly just accept the going rate? In our freelancing market, shrewd negotiation can make a huge difference to one's bottom line. It's not just about doing the task, but securing a fair deal for it, isn't it?
This is quite insightful! As a freelancer here in Singapore, I'm always looking for an edge. The idea of ChatGPT's agent mode actually tackling tasks is wild. Wonder if it could handle the nuances of local copywriting jobs, where the Singlish flavour is often key. Good read.
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