Perplexity Introduces Ads to Platform

Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, has announced that it will commence testing advertisements on its platform this week

Ads will initially be displayed on the website in the United States, and they will be presented as “sponsored follow-up questions.”

(For instance, “What are some effective strategies for utilizing LinkedIn to improve my job search?”) The advertisements will be designated as “sponsored” and will be situated to the side of the responses.

Indeed, Whole Foods, Universal McCann, and PMG are among the brands and agency partners that are currently participating in Perplexity’s advertising program.

In a blog post, Perplexity stated that “ad programs such as this assist us in generating revenue that we can distribute to our publisher partners.”

“Our experience has demonstrated that a sustainable revenue-sharing program cannot be established solely on the basis of subscriptions.” Advertising is the most effective method of guaranteeing a consistent and expandable revenue stream.

Perplexity asserted that its AI will continue to generate responses to these “sponsored questions,” rather than being written or edited by the brands that are sponsoring the inquiries. The company also stated that advertisers will not have access to users’ personal information.

According to the blog post, “We deliberately selected these formats because they incorporate advertising in a manner that preserves the objectivity, accuracy, and utility of the answers.”

“Our dedication to delivering direct, unbiased responses to your inquiries will remain unaffected by these advertisements.”

Perplexity’s adoption of advertisements is in stark contrast to OpenAI’s decision not to include advertisements in its AI-powered search utility, ChatGPT Search.

Competitor Google has also experimented with advertising in its AI search experience, AI Overviews, recently displaying advertisements for specific queries on mobile devices in the United States.