Getty Images has entered a global, multi‑year licensing agreement with Perplexity. The agreement lets Perplexity display Getty’s creative and editorial imagery inside its AI‑powered answer and discovery experiences, with crediting and links built into the UI. For enterprises, publishers, and marketers, the move is a bellwether: AI assistants are shifting from “grab what’s on the open web” to licensed, attributed media.

What’s actually licensed (and what isn’t)

• Display/embedding rights: Perplexity can show Getty images within its products via API integration.

• Attribution built‑in: Credits and links to the original source are displayed to encourage lawful use.

• Undisclosed terms: Financials and duration specifics weren’t published.

• Training rights not stated: The announcement focuses on display; treat model‑training rights as out of scope unless contractually confirmed.

Why this matters to brands, publishers and users

• Legible rights = lower risk: Clear licensing and credits reduce legal exposure for platforms and help users distinguish what they can/can’t reuse.

• Better answers, richer UX: Visuals improve comprehension and engagement inside AI answers—particularly for news, sports, and explainer content.

• Publisher visibility: Source links can drive qualified traffic and establish provenance.

• Market signal: More AI services are moving toward rights‑respecting partnerships instead of relying on implied fair use.

Product implications for AI and search teams

• UX with provenance: Pair each image with visible credit, tappable source link, and tooltips explaining licensed use.

• Contextual ranking: Prefer images that match query intent (editorial for news; creative for concepts) and reflect recency for time‑sensitive topics.

• Accessibility: Provide alt text and captions; support zoom and metadata panels (caption, photographer, event, date).

• Rate‑limiting & caching: Respect API terms; cache thumbnails per licence rules; ensure takedown pathways.

Legal & compliance checklist (UK/EU)

• Rights clarity: Confirm display vs derivative vs training rights separately. Maintain a rights matrix per provider.

• Jurisdiction & term: Record governing law, renewal windows, and any territory carve‑outs.

• Editorial vs creative: Apply different reuse logic for editorial‑only content (no commercial use).

• Model‑training exclusions: Unless explicitly granted, treat Getty content as excluded from training.

• Attribution requirements: Implement mandatory credit format; log compliance; include audit trails.

• Takedown/complaints: Maintain a rapid process for rights‑holder complaints and image removal.

For marketing & newsroom leaders: quick wins

• Richer explainers: Use credited editorial images in topical answers to increase dwell time and trust.

• Brand safety: Keep a blocklist for sensitive topics; prefer editorial with clear captions for news accuracy.

• Performance instrumentation: Track CTR on image source links, time‑to‑useful‑answer, and user satisfaction.

Competitive and ecosystem context

This deal arrives amid broader content‑licensing activity between AI platforms and media/publishers. For image libraries, the direction is clear: compensated access with attribution. For AI platforms, it’s a model for how to incorporate premium, rights‑cleared visuals—and a hedge against legal and reputational risk.

Implementation roadmap (suggested)

Month 0–1: Foundations

• Finalise API integration and rights matrix; implement credit UI; set up logging for image displays/links.

• Publish a user‑facing “What you can do with images” explainer.

Month 2–3: Pilot & measure

• Roll out to news/sports verticals first; A/B test image‑rich vs text‑only answers.

• Track CTR, dwell time, and complaint rate; tune ranking and attribution visibility.

Month 4–6: Scale & governance

• Expand to evergreen topics with creative imagery; formalise takedown SLAs; run rights audits; add accessibility QA and alt‑text linting.

Bottom line

Perplexity’s partnership with Getty Images is another step toward licensed, attributed media inside AI answers. For buyers, it’s a signal to prefer vendors with clear rights frameworks, audit trails, and user education on legal image use.

Next Steps: Need help designing attribution‑first AI UX and a rights matrix? Generation Digital can help across product, legal, and analytics.

FAQ

Q1. What does the Getty–Perplexity deal allow?
A. Perplexity can display Getty’s creative and editorial images inside its AI answers, with credit and source links, via API integration.

Q2. Does this include model training rights?
A. The announcement emphasises display. Unless explicitly granted, assume no training rights; verify in contract.

Q3. How will attribution work?
A. Images appear with credit and a link to the original source to educate users on lawful use.

Q4. What about commercial reuse by end users?
A. Display in answers ≠ reuse rights. Users must obtain appropriate licences for any downstream commercial use.

Q5. What are the immediate benefits to users?
A. Clearer, more informative answers with relevant visuals and transparent provenance.