I’m all in favour of finding new ways of earning passive income. So I tried asking ChatGPT for its best ideas to try out in the New Year.
The answers I got back were really interesting. Spoiler alert: I’m not going to try any of them out myself, but they do give me plenty to think about as 2026 approaches.
ChatGPT’s top 3 ideas
The three ideas ChatGPT suggested to me were, in order:
- AI-Powered Micro-SaaS
- Digital Assets for “Regulation-Heavy” Niches
- Progammatic Content + Affiliate Flywheels
If you’re wondering what any of those things are, well, so was I. They sound like a lot of tech words that don’t really mean anything, but the ideas make a lot more sense in plain English.
The first is making software tools that companies can use to automate certain jobs. This does sound good, but if I can do it, it’s probably not hard for someone else to set up a rival product.
The second involves building spreadsheets and templates for specialist regulated industries. This also sounds promising, but the trouble is I don’t have the necessary technical knowledge.
The third involves building local online marketplaces or comparison engines. Again, I can see the attraction, but these take a while to set up before the income starts rolling in.
ChatGPT’s passive income ideas are interesting, but I don’t think any of them are quite right for me. They do, however, give me an idea of where to look for more suitable opportunities instead.
The stock market
The trouble with ChatGPT’s ideas is that barriers to entry are either too low (which means I’ll face competition) or too high (meaning it’s hard to get started). But there is an alternative.
Rather than setting up my own passive income machine, I prefer looking to join an existing one. And the stock market gives me – and other investors – opportunities to do exactly this.
A good example is Croda International (LSE:CRDA). The stock comes with a 4% dividend yield, which could be a nice source of extra income for investors who buy shares.
Croda is a specialty chemicals business, which comes with naturally barriers to entry. Some of its products are specified by regulation in certain drugs and others are protected by patents.
The stock is cheap right now, as a result of the company going through a cyclical downturn. And it’s worth noting that the dividend isn’t currently covered by cash flows as a result.
With over 30 consecutive years of dividend growth, though, it’s fair to say the firm has seen ups and downs before. And an unusually high yield means it’s worth considering right now.
Dividend shares
Past performance doesn’t guarantee future returns, but I’m not saying Croda will grow its dividend because it has before. It’s a strong business where barriers to entry are high.
In that sense, it’s similar to the best passive income ideas ChatGPT recommended to me for 2026. But as a shareholder, I don’t have to bring the technical expertise myself.
That’s why investing in dividend shares is my top passive income idea for 2026. And Croda International is just one of the stocks that I think is worth considering right now.
