Perplexity AI has introduced a new revenue-sharing model for publishers, marking a significant shift in its approach following a wave of plagiarism accusations. The startup’s “Publishers Program” aims to address previous concerns by compensating media outlets and content platforms when their articles are used in Perplexity’s AI-generated responses. Early adopters of this initiative include prominent names like Fortune, Time, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune, Der Spiegel, and WordPress.com.
This move comes in the wake of intense scrutiny. In June, Forbes accused Perplexity of reproducing its paywalled content with minimal attribution, while Wired reported similar issues, noting suspicious IP activity linked to Perplexity. These allegations highlighted a growing concern over how AI tools handle copyrighted material.
Perplexity AI, known for its AI-assisted search capabilities and its ambitions to rival Google, saw its valuation soar to over $1 billion after new funding in April. The company's latest initiative aims to turn a corner by ensuring that publishers receive a share of the ad revenue generated when their content is referenced in Perplexity’s search results. Each article cited brings a revenue share, with publishers receiving a “double-digit percentage” of the earnings from their content, as explained by Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer.
Since the program's launch, more than a dozen publishers have shown interest, with Perplexity setting a goal of enrolling 30 publishers by the year’s end. The program also includes offering API credits and working with ScalePost.ai to deliver analytics for deeper content insights.
This initiative is part of a broader trend as media outlets and AI startups navigate their evolving relationship. While some news organizations are seeking legal recourse, such as The Center for Investigative Reporting’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, others are forging partnerships. OpenAI, for instance, has secured content deals with Time magazine and News Corp., gaining access to extensive archives in exchange for collaboration.
As the AI and media landscapes continue to shift, Perplexity’s new program represents a proactive step towards reconciling the interests of publishers and AI developers, aiming to foster a more collaborative environment in the rapidly changing digital content space.
