Perplexity, the AI-driven search startup, has announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Getty Images to integrate licensed visuals into its generative AI platform. The collaboration is aimed at enhancing Perplexity’s visual search and content generation capabilities, ensuring that image-based results are sourced responsibly from a globally recognized library.
Under the agreement, Perplexity will gain access to Getty Images’ extensive collection of professional photographs, illustrations, and video assets. This partnership will allow users to view relevant, high-quality visuals within search responses, while maintaining full compliance with copyright and usage standards. Both companies said the deal reflects their shared commitment to responsible AI development, where content creators are fairly compensated and their intellectual property protected.
In an official statement, Getty Images said that the partnership will help “integrate licensed imagery into emerging AI ecosystems while supporting creators globally.” The company emphasized that this collaboration represents a model for how creative industries and AI companies can work together to balance innovation with ethical content use.
Perplexity, founded in 2022, has rapidly emerged as a challenger in the AI search market. Its conversational search engine uses large language models to provide direct, source-backed answers to user queries. With this partnership, Perplexity aims to move beyond text-based answers by embedding contextual visuals, enhancing how users interact with information online.
The integration of Getty Images’ media library will also help the AI company differentiate itself from competitors by offering verified and authentic visual content — an area that has come under increasing scrutiny amid the rise of AI-generated images. Perplexity stated that the new visual capabilities will roll out globally in the coming months.
Dylan Patel, Chief Business Officer at Perplexity, said the deal represents an important step toward building trustworthy AI systems. “We believe that access to verified visual data not only enhances user experience but also sets new standards for transparency in AI search,” Patel said. He added that the collaboration ensures that artists and photographers receive proper credit and compensation for their work, reinforcing a sustainable AI ecosystem.
For Getty Images, the agreement marks another milestone in its broader strategy of licensing content for generative AI applications. Earlier partnerships with companies such as NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Stability AI have already established the company as a key player in ensuring that visual data is ethically integrated into machine learning models.
Industry experts see this partnership as a continuation of Getty Images’ efforts to protect creator rights while engaging with the fast-growing AI sector. “The Getty–Perplexity deal underscores a growing trend toward structured licensing arrangements in AI training and content generation,” said an analyst from IDC Research, noting that the agreement could serve as a blueprint for other tech firms seeking to navigate copyright compliance in AI.
The partnership also arrives at a pivotal moment for Perplexity, which has seen significant growth in user adoption throughout 2025. The company recently expanded its enterprise offerings and announced integrations with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, enabling secure and scalable deployment of its conversational AI capabilities. By incorporating licensed imagery, Perplexity strengthens its position in a competitive AI search market dominated by Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
According to Perplexity, the collaboration with Getty Images will enhance the visual contextualization of answers across industries such as media, education, and e-commerce. Users will be able to view images that are directly relevant to search results — from historical events to product visuals — improving both engagement and comprehension.
Getty Images’ CEO, Craig Peters, described the partnership as a forward-looking collaboration that aligns creative integrity with technological advancement. “We are proud to partner with Perplexity to ensure that innovation in AI is built on a foundation of transparency, ethics, and respect for content creators,” he said. Peters added that the integration of Getty’s imagery into AI search systems highlights the company’s leadership in defining responsible media use for next-generation technologies.
The announcement reflects a broader movement within the AI industry toward structured data licensing. As governments and organizations around the world tighten regulations on copyright and AI training data, technology companies are increasingly formalizing partnerships to ensure compliance.
The deal is also expected to help reduce the risks associated with unlicensed image scraping, an issue that has led to multiple lawsuits in the AI industry. Legal experts suggest that structured licensing deals like this one not only promote fairness but also build consumer trust in AI-generated outputs.
With the partnership, Perplexity’s AI agents will now be able to incorporate Getty Images visuals into responses without relying on external image sources. This ensures that the visuals users see are authenticated, high-resolution, and free from bias or manipulation.
The integration aligns with Perplexity’s mission to provide reliable, source-cited answers through its “Answer Engine”, which distinguishes it from traditional web search engines. The inclusion of Getty’s verified image database is expected to further improve the accuracy and credibility of Perplexity’s results.
As AI search continues to evolve, experts believe that such collaborations will play a vital role in shaping ethical frameworks for data access and content generation. Partnerships between creative rights organizations and AI firms represent a necessary convergence to build trust among users and creators alike.
With this strategic move, both Perplexity and Getty Images are positioning themselves at the intersection of innovation and accountability — signaling a future where AI development prioritizes not only technological advancement but also respect for creative ownership.