AI Side Hustle

The Next Billion
Dollar Business

AI agents are messing up at thousands of companies, and almost no insurance covers it. Here’s what the gap looks like, who’s already in the market, and three ways to enter this weekend without being an insurance company yourself.

Part 5 of How to Actually Make Money With AI

Companies are giving AI agents access to their email, customer service, refunds, contracts, even legal review. When the agent screws up — sends the wrong message, approves a bad refund, leaks private data — the company calls their insurance.

The problem: most insurance policies were never written for AI agents. There’s a giant gap, and almost nobody is filling it yet. This is where cyber insurance was in 2005.

The Numbers Why This Is The Cyber-Insurance Moment

~1,000%

Year-over-year growth in lawsuits tied to generative AI.

Source: emergingAI

$18B

Size of cyber insurance today — on track to $100B by 2033.

Cyber insurance started early 2000s

~12

Serious players building AI insurance worldwide. The field is wide open.

Munich Re, Armilla, HSB lead

And here’s the kicker: 74% of small and mid-sized businesses already use AI, and 91% plan to expand it (HSB / Munich Re survey). Most have no idea their existing policies don’t cover what their AI does.

Cyber insurance went from zero to $18B in twenty years. AI insurance has the same setup, faster timeline, and at least 10× bigger surface area — because every business is going to use AI agents, not just the ones with cybersecurity exposure.

Who’s Already Here The Players (Know Them)

If you’re going to enter this market, know who’s already moving. There aren’t many.

Player 01

Munich Re — aiSure

Munich Re (one of the world’s biggest reinsurers) launched aiSure, an insurance product specifically for AI performance failures. They’re backing the bet that AI errors are a real, measurable, insurable risk.

Player 02

Armilla

Startup focused on AI risk assessment and insurance. Builds the technical layer — testing AI systems for failure modes — that traditional insurers don’t have in-house.

Player 03

HSB (Hartford Steam Boiler)

Munich Re subsidiary. Publishes the survey research most of this industry quotes. Building business-of-AI products targeted at SMBs (the giant under-served market).

Enter Without Selling Insurance 3 Real Ways In

You don’t need to be an insurance company. The whole layer around insurance is wide open. Pick one of these.

Angle 01

AI Risk Audits for Small Businesses

Build a 1-page AI Risk Report for SMBs. List every AI tool they use (ChatGPT, Claude, customer service bots, refund automation), the worst-case failure mode for each, and a coverage-gap analysis on their current policy. Charge $500-$2,500 per report. Most SMBs have no idea where their exposure is.

Angle 02

Lead-Gen for Licensed Brokers

You don’t need an insurance license to generate qualified leads. Partner with one or two licensed brokers in your state who already sell business policies. You bring them SMBs with AI exposure; they pay you $200-$1,000 per closed policy. This is the fastest path to revenue.

Angle 03

Gap-Coverage Consulting

Help mid-sized companies review their existing policies for AI gaps and write the language they need to bring to their brokers. This is high-ticket B2B work — $5K-$25K engagements. Hardest to start, biggest revenue ceiling.

This Weekend 4 Steps to Start

01

Pick your angle

Audits if you’re technical. Lead-gen if you’re a connector. Consulting if you have past corporate experience.

02

Pick a niche

Don’t go after “all SMBs.” Pick one industry that uses AI heavily: e-commerce stores running AI customer service, law firms using AI document review, marketing agencies deploying AI content tools, healthcare clinics running AI scheduling.

03

Build one deliverable

Write the 1-page AI Risk Report template for your niche this weekend. Use Claude to help. Six sections: AI tools in use, worst-case failure for each, current coverage status, the gap, dollar exposure, recommended fix. Make it visual.

04

DM 5 SMBs in your niche

Don’t pitch — offer the free 1-page report. Out of 5, you’ll likely get 1-2 conversations. Use those to refine your offer before you scale.

Honest limitations

If you actually want to sell insurance, you need a state license. Period. The angles above (audits, lead-gen, consulting) are the unlicensed paths. If you fall in love with the market, you can study for the license later. Also, “AI insurance” as a product is still being defined — your reports will probably need updating every 6 months as policies evolve.

The big picture

Cyber insurance felt boring and niche in 2005. It’s a $100B market headed your way. AI insurance is the same setup with a wider surface area — because every business uses AI now, not just the ones with sensitive data. The window where you can claim a piece of this market without competing with a big insurer is right now, and it’s going to close fast.

For Your Job

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Go Even Further

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