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Getty Images, Perplexity Strike Multi-Year Deal for AI Content Integration

By  |  November 2, 2025

Perplexity has entered into a multi-year partnership with Getty Images to display licensed visuals across its AI-powered search and discovery products, according to Reuters. News of the agreement boosted Getty’s shares by about 5% on Friday.

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    The collaboration represents the latest in a series of licensing arrangements between artificial intelligence startups and established digital content providers. Such deals are designed to both secure new revenue streams and safeguard intellectual property as AI companies expand their use of copyrighted materials.

    Under the agreement, Getty Images will supply Perplexity with licensed visuals through an API integration. This setup will enable Perplexity to access Getty’s extensive image library directly, providing users with high-quality visuals accompanied by proper attribution. Per Reuters, the AI platform also plans to include image credits and source links to ensure transparent and lawful use of visual content.

    AI developers’ reliance on copyrighted materials has drawn increasing scrutiny, leading to legal challenges across the industry. Getty Images, which also licenses content through iStock and Unsplash, has previously filed a lawsuit against Stability AI, alleging unauthorized use of its images in AI training data.

    Related: Reddit Sues Perplexity AI and Data Firms Over Alleged Unauthorized Scraping

    Per Reuters, Perplexity itself has been the target of multiple copyright lawsuits from major publishers, including Japan’s Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun. In response, the company has rolled out a revenue-sharing model that involves partnerships with media outlets such as TIME and Der Spiegel.

    Experts say these licensing deals reflect a shifting strategy in the AI sector. Mark Lemley, director of Stanford’s Program in Law, Science and Technology, noted that while AI companies are paying for access to certain high-quality datasets, such arrangements could complicate their fair-use defenses in ongoing litigation. “AI companies will end up paying some entities, like Getty, that have large collections of high-quality content,” he said, adding that the licensing model cannot easily scale to the vast volume of material used in AI training.

    The deal also aligns with Getty’s broader initiative to embrace AI innovation while protecting creators’ rights. The company has been expanding efforts to support AI-generated content that draws from licensed materials, allowing developers and users to produce images within a legally compliant framework.

    Source: Reuters