AI Search App Sharing Ad Revenue with News Publishers to Reduce Perplexity

Perplexity, a cutting-edge AI search application, has introduced the Publishers’ Program to support news publishers by sharing ad revenue generated from their content appearing in search results. This initiative ensures proper credit and financial assistance for publishers when their articles are featured on the app's search platform. Businesses can opt to promote their content through new ad placements within the app, generating revenue when users interact with these ads linked to a publisher's content.

Through a collaboration with ScalePost.ai, Perplexity offers publishers access to content performance analytics. Publishers enrolled in the program will also receive complimentary access to Perplexity's API, enabling them to develop custom answer engines for their websites. Additionally, employees will have access to the premium enterprise version of Perplexity at no cost for one year, further enhancing their experience with the platform.

CEO Aravind Srinivas expressed the importance of creating a program that aligns incentives for all stakeholders involved. The program aims to cultivate a system where the internet ecosystem thrives, benefiting both publishers and Perplexity. Several renowned publishers, including Time, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and WordPress, have already joined the program, poised to reap its benefits.

This development marks Perplexity's first foray into displaying ads on its AI search app, a departure from its previous subscription-based model. The inclusion of ads in related searches opens up new revenue streams for both the app and participating publishers. In a strategic move, Perplexity is exploring bundled subscription options where users can access Perplexity Pro and subscriptions to partnered publishers for a flat fee.

With prominent figures like Jeff Bezos and Nvidia investing in Perplexity, the app has garnered attention and support. A recent collaboration with SoftBank further solidifies its position in the market. Despite its success, Perplexity faces competition from OpenAI's SearchGPT, a new feature being piloted for ChatGPT to provide users with a conversational search experience.