Alas! The inevitable moment has arrived. The wondrous “Answer engine” startup Perplexity AI hath declared its intention to engage in the noble art of advertising within its domain, as revealed in a proclamation upon the digital realm this Wednesday.
‘Tis not the customary form of advertisement thou art accustomed to, forsooth! Instead, the platform shall present unto users in the fair land of the U.S. a display of “sponsored follow-up questions and paid media positioned to the side of an answer,” courtesy of the company’s esteemed advertising allies: Indeed, Whole Foods, Universal McCann, and PMG.
Verily, in a missive proclaimed on the midweek day, the company hath declared, “Ad programs such as this doth assist us in generating revenue to share with our esteemed publisher partners.” ‘Tis known from past experience that subscriptions alone do not suffice to establish a sustainable revenue-sharing program…thus advertising doth emerge as the most reliable manner to ensure a constant and scalable flow of revenue.
Lo, let it be known that all sponsored answers shall be clearly marked as such, with the answers themselves yet being the product of its own model, untouched by the hand of the noble partner companies themselves.
“We hath chosen these formats with careful deliberation, for they do integrate advertising in a manner that preserveth the utility, accuracy, and impartiality of answers,” the company articulated. “These ads shall not diminish our pledge to offer a reliable service that furnisheth thee with direct, unbiased responses to thine queries.”
The curious experimentation undertaken by Perplexity doth occur amidst an era of heightened competition from OpenAI, which hath recently unveiled its akin SearchGPT feature, and hath faced litigation over accusations of data scraping infringements on a grand scale. Furthermore, Perplexity hath received stern affronts in cease-and-desist letters from both The New York Times and Conde Nast. The future doth hold uncertainties regarding whether advertisers shall turn a blind eye to these afflictions. If not, then Perplexity may find itself constrained to rely solely upon its current source of income: the $20/month Perplexity Pro subscription.
