The French newspaper has entered a strategic content partnership with the AI firm aiming to enhance search results and develop AI-driven products.
French newspaper Le Monde has entered a strategic content partnership with US-based artificial intelligence firm Perplexity, marking a significant step in the race among AI startups to secure access to high-quality journalism. The deal will allow Perplexity’s search engine to use Le Monde’s reporting to enhance its AI-generated responses, while Le Monde will tap into Perplexity’s technology to develop new AI-driven products.
Louis Dreyfus, CEO of Le Monde, said the partnership reflects the publication’s ambition to expand its audience and build new revenue streams. “At Le Monde, we have continued to explore new partnerships with leading AI players to build new sources of revenues,” he said.
Perplexity has been expanding its network of media partners, having already struck agreements with outlets including the Los Angeles Times and the Independent. Under its revenue-sharing model, media partners receive a portion of advertising income generated when their content is used in AI search responses. The aim is to create a financially viable framework for journalism at a time when AI’s impact on news is growing – and when concerns over the use of media content without permission are mounting.
The partnership builds on Le Monde’s recent deal with OpenAI, which allows the tech company to use the newspaper’s material to train AI models including ChatGPT. Le Monde’s engagement with AI firms underscores its effort to ensure attribution, editorial control and financial returns in a fast-moving landscape.
However, the relationship between news organisations and AI companies remains complex. Several publishers have launched legal challenges against tech firms, alleging that their content has been used to train AI models without permission. This tension has accelerated the push for more transparent and ethical agreements between media and technology sectors.
Perplexity’s model goes further than revenue sharing. It also offers publishers access to its APIs and the ability to create custom search features, giving partners new tools to deepen engagement with their audiences. Companies such as Time and Fortune have also signed agreements, highlighting the growing momentum behind these collaborations.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/frances-le-monde-enters-content-061003857.html – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.lemonde.fr/en/about-us/article/2024/03/13/le-monde-signs-artificial-intelligence-partnership-agreement-with-open-ai_6615418_115.html – In March 2024, Le Monde, a French newspaper, signed a multi-year agreement with OpenAI, marking the first such partnership between a French media organization and a major AI company. The agreement allows OpenAI to use Le Monde’s content to train its AI models and enhance services like ChatGPT. In return, Le Monde’s articles will be highlighted in AI-generated answers, with proper attribution. This collaboration aims to improve the relevance of AI responses and protect Le Monde’s editorial identity in the evolving AI landscape.
- https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2024/07/31/ia-perplexity-passe-un-accord-avec-des-medias-comme-time-ou-fortune-pour-pouvoir-utiliser-leurs-contenus_6262857_4408996.html – In July 2024, Perplexity AI, an AI search engine, announced partnerships with several media outlets, including Time, Der Spiegel, Fortune, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune, and Automattic. These agreements grant Perplexity access to the publishers’ content to enhance its AI-driven search responses. In exchange, Perplexity plans to share a portion of its advertising revenue with these publishers, addressing previous controversies over content usage without consent. The initiative aims to support quality journalism while leveraging AI technology.
- https://pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/news-publisher-ai-deals-lawsuits-openai-google/ – This article discusses various partnerships and legal actions between AI companies and news publishers. It highlights Le Monde’s partnership with OpenAI, emphasizing the strategic move to expand reach and uphold journalistic integrity. The piece also covers other collaborations, such as Axel Springer’s agreement with OpenAI, and mentions legal pressures faced by AI firms over content usage. The article provides insights into the evolving relationship between AI technology and the media industry.
- https://www.bsonenews.com/article/603c1e97-0fb1-430c-9c10-e1ca80a0ec70 – Perplexity AI has initiated a revenue-sharing program with several media partners, including Automattic, Der Spiegel, Entrepreneur, Fortune, The Texas Tribune, and TIME. Under these multi-year agreements, Perplexity will share a portion of its advertising revenue with publishers whose content is used in AI-generated responses. The program aims to support quality journalism and address previous controversies over content usage without consent. Additionally, Perplexity offers partners access to its APIs and developer support to create customized answer engines.
- https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/07/perplexity-ai-search-engine-launches-revenue-sharing-with-six-news-publishers/ – In July 2024, Perplexity AI launched its Publishers’ Program, partnering with six media organizations: Time, Der Spiegel, Fortune, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune, and Automattic. The program includes a revenue-sharing agreement, where publishers receive a share of advertising revenue generated from their content used in AI-generated responses. Perplexity also provides partners with access to its APIs and developer support to build custom search features. This initiative aims to address concerns over content usage and support the sustainability of quality journalism.
- https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/perplexity-publishers-revenue-sharing/ – Perplexity AI has expanded its revenue-sharing program to include more than a dozen new publishers from the UK, US, Spain, Japan, and Latin America. Partners include Adweek, The Independent, Los Angeles Times, and World History Encyclopedia. Under the program, publishers receive a share of advertising revenue when their content is referenced in AI-generated results. They also gain access to Perplexity’s APIs and developer support to build custom features. This expansion reflects Perplexity’s commitment to supporting quality journalism and addressing content usage concerns.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative discusses recent partnerships involving Le Monde, Perplexity, and OpenAI, reflecting ongoing developments in AI and media collaboration. There are no indications of outdated information, such as referencing former roles or deceased persons. The content appears original and timely, without signs of being recycled from older reports or press releases.
Quotes check
Score:
8
Notes:
The main direct quote from Louis Dreyfus, CEO of Le Monde, about exploring partnerships to grow audience and revenue, aligns with typical corporate communications but the earliest direct public source of this exact quote could not be independently verified online. This suggests it might be a newly reported statement rather than recycled, improving credibility.
Source reliability
Score:
7
Notes:
The narrative originates from a financial news platform (Yahoo Finance Canada) known to aggregate business news but not as an original investigative outlet. The information references established organisations (Le Monde, Perplexity, OpenAI) that are credible, but the platform itself does not have the same reliability standard as top-tier media or industry-specialised publications.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about Le Monde’s strategic partnerships with AI firms, revenue-sharing models, and current legal challenges in AI-media collaborations are plausible and consistent with known industry trends as of early 2025. The details fit well with recent developments in AI and journalism, with no extraordinary or unverifiable claims.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative presents a current and believable account of Le Monde’s partnership with Perplexity and related AI collaborations. The freshness is strong, the quote appears original though not independently verifiable yet, the report is from a moderately reliable financial news platform, and the claims align well with recent, verifiable industry trends. Overall, it stands as a credible and timely piece of information.


