Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI is officially moving forward with previously announced plans to begin testing ads within its search results. Initial agency and brand partners include Indeed, PMG, Universal McCann, and Whole Foods Market. The company said in a blog post announcing the move, "To fully deliver on our mission to spark the world's...

Perplexity AI, the company behind the eponymous artificial intelligence (AI) search platform, announced on Tuesday that it will begin experimenting with ads this week. An earlier report in August highlighted the company’s intentions of incorporating ads by the end of the year to boost its revenue. The AI firm highlighted that ads will be shown in a format that does not clutter or ruins the user experience of the platform.

The round was led by venture capital firm IVP and valued the company at about $520 million, according to the company. NEA, NVIDIA, Databricks, and Bessemer Venture Partners also participated in the round.

Srinivas went on to work with OpenAI for a year before co-founding Perplexity AI in 2022