At least 11 publishers have begun serving advertisements that are readable by AI agents but invisible to human visitors, and Perplexity has moved to stop such ads from influencing its AI tools, according to a report from The Information.
AI advertising · Publishers and AI agents
Hidden ads are being built for AI agents, not human readers
At least 11 publishers are serving ads that AI agents can read but human visitors never see. Perplexity has moved to stop these ads from influencing its AI tools.
11+
Publishers serving ads invisible to human visitors
0
Ads shown on the visual page that readers see
1
Major AI answer engine (Perplexity) moving to block them
Publishers serving AI-only ads vs. publishers named in reporting
One block = one publisher. The reporting does not identify the publishers.
How the channel works
1
Publisher serves an ad to automated systems
2
AI agent reads and summarizes the page
3
Paid content may shape the answer
4
The user sees no ad and no disclosure
Publisher view
Hidden ads could open a new revenue stream tied to machine traffic, as publishers aim to reach automated systems acting for users, not only people loading a page.
AI company concern
Perplexity treats these ads as a potential threat to response integrity. The channel raises whether paid content can shape answers without users knowing.
Still unknown
The scale, terms and effect of these ads remain undisclosed
Scope of the practice beyond the 11 publishers
Formats and technical mechanisms used
Commercial terms of the ads
Measured effect on AI outputs
Whether other AI companies or regulators will act
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