By Jonathan Baker Perplexity AI—The “new kid on the artificial intelligence block”—is taking on an ambitious plan. This chatbot and conversational search engine will launch a publisher program. How will this work? Get ready to discover the “Perplexity Publishers’ Program.” Questions and answers In a recent Media Post article, Laurie Sullivan reported that Perplexity AI’s publisher partnership will enable brands to purchase “related follow-up questions” which will be placed below initial answers to questions from users about products or services. These questions and answers will be visible to users as “sponsored” posts. What is the business model, and how do Perplexity AI and publishers benefit? Fees to Perplexity AI and percentages to publishers Brands choosing to participate in this program are to pay Perplexity AI a fee for every thousand views a question to a “sponsored” post receives. Then, if content from participating publishers are used in corresponding answers from Perplexity AI, they in turn receive a percentage of the ad revenue. The response from well-known publishers has been enthusiastic. The first six publishers Currently, the following publishers have joined the new partnership with Perplexity AI: Time Fortune WordPress Entrepreneur Der Spiegel The Texas Tribune Many other publishers are lining up for consideration. The goal of Perplexity AI is to engage anywhere from 30-to-40 publishers by the end of this year. Yes, there is enthusiasm. More importantly, this project from Perplexity AI may be indicative of how to answer concerns over authenticity. Gaining audience trust Sentiment among publishers that have partnered with Perplexity AI is how this may be a step in the right direction for giving users information which they can trust. This is especially important in light of the many complaints about misleading or false information when users “ask” a question via AI. With this project from Perplexity AI, the only content posted to questions and answers between users and brands will be cited from participating—and trusted—publishers. It should also be noted that the connection between Perplexity AI and publishers is a genuine partnership… Perplexity AI and publishers understand one another The foundation of “Perplexity Publishers’ Program” is built on cooperation and respect between the AI company and participants. As Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity stated on its homepage: “We structured this program to ensure we have a scalable and sustainable way to align incentives for all parties. We appreciate the publishers who have joined us for this program and provided us with valuable feedback about how it should operate. We have always believed that we can build a system where the whole Internet wins, and this is just the first step.” Earlier this year, the popularity of Perplexity AI was reported to be growing like wildfire. This latest project—“Perplexity Publishers’ Program”—will keep this fire bright. If you have questions or concerns about anything AI-related in promoting your brand or business, contact EGC. We will help you gain an understanding of this and other late-breaking innovations.
