The controversy. Perplexity’s AI summarizes content from across the web, but critics argue it competes unfairly with publishers by pulling in their stories — sometimes behind paywalls — and paraphrasing them inaccurately.
Publisher pushback: Forbes and Wired have both raised concerns over unauthorized use of their content.
Citations debate: While Perplexity cites its sources, errors in attribution are common.
What’s next. Perplexity faces mounting pressure as it reportedly seeks a $500 million funding round, aiming for a $9 billion valuation. With competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search offering more control to publishers, Perplexity’s success will depend on balancing innovation with maintaining publisher trust.
Bottom line. As Perplexity expands its partnerships, the tension between AI-driven search innovation and content ownership remains unresolved, leaving publishers wary but curious about the potential revenue boost.
Dig deeper. Perplexity begins testing ads as sponsored follow-up questions