Getty Images stock jumps 123% after OpenAI display deal

Getty Images shares jumped about 123% after the company announced a display agreement to make its licensed image libraries available inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT search and discovery experiences. The stock briefly spiked more than 200% early Monday before settling and closed at $1.35, up from Friday’s 61 cents. Getty did not disclose financial terms.

The agreement will place Getty’s licensed photographs into ChatGPT’s visual responses and search and discovery features, according to the announcement. The companies did not clarify whether OpenAI will be allowed to alter images or whether Getty’s libraries can be used to train generative AI models.

Getty did not specify whether both editorial and commercial stock photography are included, nor did the announcement indicate whether individual photographers and contributors can opt out of AI-related uses covered by the deal. Those details will determine how broadly Getty’s catalog appears inside ChatGPT and what rights contributors retain.

In the announcement, Getty Images CEO Craig Peters wrote, “High-quality, licensed visual content makes AI-powered search and discovery more useful and more trustworthy. This partnership with OpenAI reflects a shared recognition of that, and together we will deliver richer visual experiences to ChatGPT users.” The statement framed the agreement as a way to improve visual search quality and trustworthiness.

The pact follows Getty’s legal and commercial activity around AI. In January 2023, Getty sued Stability AI, alleging the company copied and processed millions of copyrighted images to train the Stable Diffusion model and citing concerns such as replication of watermarks. Getty has also provided licenses to technology companies for purposes related to AI training in other contexts and has explored its own AI image-generation capabilities.

OpenAI has been expanding content partnerships while adding visual features and advertising tools to ChatGPT. The announcement did not resolve whether licensed images will be used only for display inside ChatGPT or also included in model training, leaving technical and rights-related questions open.

Market participants and creators will look for further information on which parts of Getty’s library are covered, contributor opt-out options, permissions for image modification, and any commercial terms. Getty and OpenAI have not provided additional operational details and may release more information as they implement the agreement.