Here are a few straightforward AI startup ideas that meet your criteria:

### 1. AI-Powered Email Assistant
*Problem:* Many businesses struggle with managing their email communications efficiently.
*Solution:* An AI tool that helps businesses manage their emails by categorizing, prioritizing, and even drafting responses. This can be marketed to small businesses, freelancers, and professionals who need to optimize their email workflow.
*Monetization:* Subscription-based model with tiered pricing based on the number of users and features.

### 2. AI-Driven Social Media Content Creator
*Problem:* Creating engaging social media content consistently is challenging for many small businesses.
*Solution:* A tool that generates and schedules social media posts using AI. It can create graphics, captions, and hashtags tailored to the business's niche and target audience.
*Monetization:* Monthly subscription fees or pay-per-use model.

### 3. AI-Powered Customer Support Chatbot
*Problem:* Many small businesses can't afford 24/7 customer support.
*Solution:* An AI chatbot that can be easily integrated into a business's website to handle common customer inquiries, provide information, and escalate issues when needed.
*Monetization:* Subscription-based pricing or a per-interaction fee.

### 4. AI-Based Invoice Processing
*Problem:* Manual invoice processing is time-consuming and prone to errors.
*Solution:* An AI tool that automates invoice processing by extracting relevant information, validating it, and entering it into the accounting system.
*Monetization:* Subscription model or a per-invoice processed fee.

### 5. AI-Powered Resume Screener
*Problem:* HR departments spend a lot of time screening resumes for job applications.
*Solution:* An AI tool that screens resumes based on job descriptions, ranking them according to relevance, and flagging the best candidates for human review.
*Monetization:* Subscription model targeted at small and medium-sized businesses.

### 6. AI-Based Marketing Optimization Tool
*Problem:* Small businesses often struggle with optimizing their marketing campaigns.
*Solution:* A tool that uses AI to analyze marketing data and provide actionable insights to optimize ad spend, content, and targeting.
*Monetization:* Subscription-based model with different tiers based on features and usage.

### 7. AI-Driven Personal Finance Advisor
*Problem:* Individuals often struggle with managing personal finances and investments.
*Solution:* An AI tool that provides personalized financial advice, budgeting tips, and investment recommendations based on user data.
*Monetization:* Freemium model with premium features available for a monthly or yearly fee.

### 8. AI-Based Competitive Analysis Tool
*Problem:* Businesses need to keep track of their competitors' activities but doing so manually is time-consuming.
*Solution:* An AI tool that monitors competitors’ online presence, analyzes their marketing strategies, and provides insights and alerts.
*Monetization:* Subscription-based model with different tiers based on the depth of analysis and number of competitors tracked.

These ideas are designed to be simple, clear in their value proposition, and feasible for a small team to build and run.