People Inc. (previously known as Dotdash Meredith) has unveiled an AI content licensing pact with Microsoft, positioning itself as one of the inaugural partners within Microsoft's Publisher Content Marketplace. This agreement stands as its second foray into AI - related collaborations, having previously worked with OpenAI.

Neil Vogel, the CEO of the company, revealed that the marketplace functions on a pay - per - use basis, with Microsoft Copilot emerging as the inaugural buyer. In the meantime, Google's AI - generated overview feature integrated into its search function has taken a significant toll on People Inc.'s traffic. The proportion of Google search traffic directed to People Inc. has plummeted from 54% to a mere 24%.

In a bid to safeguard its content, People Inc. has implemented Cloudflare technology to thwart AI crawlers. This move has compelled AI companies to take the initiative in seeking partnerships.

Financial reports indicate that People Inc.'s digital revenue has witnessed a 9% uptick, reaching a substantial $269 million. Notably, performance marketing and content licensing have experienced growth rates of 38% and 24% respectively. Moreover, People Inc. has completed the acquisition of Feedfeed.