Perplexity’s New Plan to Share Money with Publishers
Perplexity, a company that uses AI to help people search the internet, has started a new program called the “Publishers’ Program.” This program will share money earned from ads with media partners like Time, Der Spiegel, and Fortune.
How It Works
- Publishers get a “double-digit percentage” of ad money when their content shows up in search results.
- Brands can buy spots for “related follow-up questions” under the main search answers.
- Ads will be clearly marked as sponsored.
Benefits for Publishers
- Free access to Perplexity’s large language models through API.
- A year of free access to Perplexity’s Pro service tier for all employees.
Why This Is Important
Perplexity is growing and could become a new way for digital ads, different from big companies like Google. Digital ad spending in the U.S. is expected to reach $191 billion by 2024, so this is a big deal!
The Bigger Picture
Using AI for search is more expensive than regular search, so Perplexity needs to find ways to make money that work well. The global artificial intelligence market is anticipated to reach $126 billion by 2025.
Dealing with plagiarism accusations
Recently, Perplexity faced accusations of copying content from Forbes and Wired. Unlike other companies like OpenAI and Google, Perplexity says it doesn’t need to license content because it doesn’t use publishers’ writing to train its AI.
What Experts Say
- “It’s a much better revenue split than Google, which is zero,” says Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic.
- Perplexity’s CBO, Dmitry Shevelenko, admits this program might reduce profits but thinks it’s necessary for long-term success. He wants to change the old search engine model that doesn’t share revenue with media partners.
What to Watch
- How this program compares to similar ones from competitors like OpenAI.
- Whether it will address publishers’ fears about AI utilizing copyrighted content.
Conclusion
Perplexity’s new program shows that they care about sharing money with the people who create the content we read. By giving publishers a part of the ad money, Perplexity is trying to make the internet fairer for everyone. Even though there have been some problems with copying content, Perplexity is working hard to find solutions and make sure everyone benefits. This new plan might change how AI companies and publishers work together in the future!
