Perplexity AI Revenue Initiative

Perplexity is launching a revenue-sharing program to compensate publishers for the use of their content in AI search results. The initiative aims to address copyright concerns and potential legal challenges from media outlets. Perplexity has allocated $42.5 million for the program.

Under the new program, publishers can earn money when their content appears in Perplexity's Comet browser search queries, receives web traffic via Comet, or is used by Comet's AI assistant. The funding will come from the Comet Plus subscription, priced at $5 per month, offering users curated content from participating publishers. Publishers will receive 80% of the revenue generated, while Perplexity retains the remaining 20%.

This revenue-sharing model sets a new standard for compensating publishers in the age of AI. While other AI companies have pursued licensing deals, Perplexity's approach directly links publisher compensation to content usage in AI-powered search and assistance. Perplexity is in discussions with media partners, though specific participants haven't been disclosed.