Perplexity Launches Subscription Program That Includes Revenue Sharing With Publishers

An anonymous reader quotes a report from PYMNTS: Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has announced a new subscription program called Comet Plus that it said gives users access to premium content from trusted publishers and journalists, while providing publishers with a better compensation model. 'Comet Plus transforms how publishers are compensated in the AI age,' the company said in a Monday blog post. 'As users demand a better internet in the age of AI, it's time for a business model to ensure that publishers and journalists benefit from their contributions to a better internet.'

Comet Plus is included in Perplexity's Pro and Max memberships and is available as a standalone subscription for $5 per month. Perplexity introduced its Comet AI-powered browser in July, saying the tool lets users answer questions and carry out tasks and research from a single interface. Bloomberg reported Monday that Perplexity has allocated $42.5 million for a revenue sharing program that compensates publishers when their content is used by its Comet browser or AI assistant. The program will use funds that come from Comet Plus and will deliver 80% of the revenue to publishers, with Perplexity getting the other 20%, the report said, citing an interview with Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. 'AI is helping to create a better internet, but publishers still need to get paid,' Srinivas said in the report. 'Sowe think this is actually the right solution, and we're happy to make adjustments along the way.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.