AI-powered search engine Perplexity has announced that it will start testing ads on its platform this week. Initially, the ads will be displayed in the U.S. and will appear as “sponsored follow-up questions,” such as “How can I use LinkedIn to enhance my job search?” These ads will be placed alongside answers and marked as “sponsored.”

Brands and agencies like Indeed, Whole Foods, Universal McCann, and PMG are part of Perplexity’s ad program.

Perplexity stated that these “sponsored questions” will still be generated by its AI and not influenced by the brands sponsoring the questions. Advertisers will not have access to users’ personal information.

The company believes that integrating advertising in this way will not compromise the accuracy and objectivity of the answers provided to users.

Perplexity’s decision to introduce ads on its platform differs from OpenAI’s choice not to include ads on its AI-powered search tool. Google has also experimented with ads on its AI search feature, AI Overviews, displaying ads for specific queries on mobile in the U.S.

Perplexity is positioning its ad products as a high-quality option compared to Google’s, highlighting its ability to reach educated, high-income consumers. However, some analysts have raised concerns about the effectiveness of ads on Perplexity in terms of scale, reach, and targeting capabilities.

While Perplexity has faced accusations of plagiarism, the company claims to have made changes to how it cites sources and is expanding its revenue-sharing program for publishers.

Pressure is mounting on Perplexity to increase its monetization efforts. The company is reportedly in the final stages of securing $500 million in funding at a $9 billion valuation, with its premium subscription service, Perplexity Pro, being its only current revenue source.