A Shift in Perplexity’s Approach to Sourcing Visuals

AI search platform Perplexity has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Getty Images. The deal allows Perplexity to display Getty’s editorial and creative image library across its AI-powered search and discovery tools.

The agreement marks a shift in Perplexity’s approach to sourcing visual content. Previously, the startup faced criticism and legal challenges over alleged scraping of publisher content and suspicious usage of images. The Getty Images deal appears to formalise visual-content use.

What the licence covers and why it matters

Under the agreement, Perplexity will integrate Getty’s API and present directly licensed images in its search results. It will also provide proper attribution and links back to image sources.

This development is significant because it underscores the growing importance of safe and legal content sourcing in AI-driven search. It signals that startups like Perplexity are recognising the value of licensed content over un-licenced scraping.

Context: Perplexity’s previous copyright scrutiny

Perplexity has been under scrutiny for its use of publisher and image content. The company faced allegations of copyright infringement including pulling articles and images from news sites without adequate permissions.

Meanwhile, Getty Images has been active in defending its IP, including litigation against other AI firms for using its images without licence.

What this means for users and publishers

For users, the new deal means that when they use Perplexity’s search tools, visuals from Getty’s library will appear alongside results and will include proper attribution. That may improve trust, clarity and the visual quality of search results.

For publishers and content-owners, this signals that AI platforms may increasingly rely on licensed content. It could encourage more partnerships and reduce the risk of infringing use in AI contexts.

The licensing landscape ahead

This deal comes amid a broader shift: AI firms facing pressure to formalise content licences rather than relying on ambiguous fair-use claims. For example, Getty’s own steps to enforce licensing reflect an industry trend.

Going forward, we may see more AI search and discovery tools strike similar content partnerships — especially for premium visuals, text and data.