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Perplexity AI introduces a revenue-sharing model for publishers to address plagiarism concerns, partnering with major media outlets like Fortune and Time.
Key Points
- Perplexity AI launches a revenue-sharing model for publishers to address plagiarism accusations.
- Major media outlets including Fortune, Time, and Der Spiegel join the ‘Publishers Program.’
- Investigation revealed Perplexity AI accessed paywalled content without citation.
- Perplexity raised $62 billion in funding, doubling its valuation to over $1 billion.
- The startup aims to partner with 30 publishers by year-end and collaborate on ad sales.
AI search startup Perplexity has introduced a revenue-sharing model for publishers in response to ongoing plagiarism accusations. The firm’s new ‘Publishers Program‘ includes notable media outlets such as Fortune, Time, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune, Der Spiegel, and WordPress.com.
The move comes after several media companies, including Forbes and Wired, accused Perplexity AI of plagiarizing their content, particularly stories behind paywalls. These stories appeared on Perplexity’s Pages tool without proper citation. An investigation by Wired revealed that an IP address likely linked to Perplexity accessed their websites over 800 times in three months, raising significant concerns about content theft.
In a bid to mend relations and ensure ethical practices, Perplexity AI has rolled out the revenue-sharing program, offering participating publishers a free one-year subscription to its Enterprise Pro tier. Publishers will also gain access to Perplexity’s developer tools and insights via Scalepost.ai, an AI startup that provides data on article visibility in user queries.
This initiative follows a substantial funding round in April, where Perplexity AI raised approximately $62 billion, boosting its valuation to over $1 billion—double its valuation from three months prior. The startup’s goal is to have 30 publishers on board by the end of the year. Additionally, Perplexity is looking to collaborate with publishers’ ad sales teams to sell ads against all Perplexity inventory, creating new revenue streams.
Similar steps have been taken by OpenAI, which has secured deals with companies like News Corp. and Time magazine to avoid copyright allegations. Perplexity AI’s new program is expected to provide a more transparent and mutually beneficial relationship with content creators, addressing the plagiarism issues that have plagued its reputation.
As the program unfolds, it will be closely watched to see if it effectively mitigates plagiarism concerns and fosters a collaborative environment between AI platforms and content publishers.
