Why no one is talking about Google Colab which is almost free for basic work in daily life?
A freelancer used free Colab and free ChatGPT to automate a $200 job in hours, not days.
A viral Reddit post by user mhamza_hashim reveals how he leveraged free Google Colab and ChatGPT to complete a bulk image background removal job for $200 in just three hours. The client had 3,500 images and expected a team effort, but the freelancer used a simple Python script generated by the free version of ChatGPT, running it on Google Colab's free GPU tier. He delivered the work within 24 hours, impressing the client. The script is now open-source on GitHub (mhamzahashim/bulk-bg-remover), enabling anyone to replicate the workflow.
This example highlights Colab's underestimated power for real-world automation. Beyond GPU-based AI tasks, Google Colab now supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration with tools like Claude Code, allowing developers to run arbitrary code, access storage, and control environments from AI assistants. For professionals, this means cheap, scalable automation of repetitive tasks like image processing, data cleaning, or even running simple machine learning models without paying for cloud compute. The key is combining free or low-cost AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) with free Colab runtime to build custom solutions that would otherwise require expensive software or manual labor.
- Used free Google Colab (GPU) + free ChatGPT to write Python script for batch background removal.
- Completed 3,500 images in 3 hours, charged $200; script open-sourced at github.com/mhamzahashim/bulk-bg-remover.
- Now supports MCP integration, allowing Claude Code to control Colab environment for custom automation.
Why It Matters
Shows how free cloud tools + AI can automate high-value manual work, saving time and money.