OpenAI signs Getty Images display deal for ChatGPT search, first licensed-visuals partnership inside ChatGPT

Getty Images and OpenAI announced a multi-year display partnership on 21 June 2026, letting Getty’s licensed image library appear inside ChatGPT search and discovery surfaces. The deal is display-only: OpenAI does not get rights to train its models on Getty’s library. Getty’s stock spiked as much as 145% in early trading after the announcement.

The arrangement extends Getty’s existing partnership with Perplexity, which served as the template. AI search platforms are shifting from scraped visual content to licensed inventory as their distribution model matures, and Getty has positioned itself as the default licensed-visuals supplier across major AI search products.

Why this matters: for publishers and creators producing visual content, the OpenAI-Getty deal sets a precedent that AI search platforms will pay for licensed visuals at scale. That changes the negotiation context for stock-image agencies, independent photographers, and content publishers who supply visuals to news sites. It also signals that the “AI search platforms will simply scrape” assumption from 2023-2024 no longer holds for visuals, even if it remains contested for text.

For European publishers and content creators, the strategic angle is twofold. First, the lawsuit chill is moving AI platforms toward licensed content deals, which may eventually extend to text and could open new monetisation paths for publisher content. Second, GEO (generative engine optimisation) tactics for visual content are now meaningful: getting your visuals into Getty’s library, with the right metadata, puts them in a position to be surfaced inside ChatGPT and Perplexity responses.

Track the next 6 to 12 months for parallel licensed-text deals between AI search platforms and major publishers.