July 24, 2026  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Leaning on the trust in their legacy (in this context not a bad word) brands, publisher authority in AI has become a commercial opportunity as LLM search usage stirs and publisher-crafted content syndication, GEO and visibility plays are now in market.

According to an IAB report out last week, 51% of the 110 U.S. publishers surveyed have already signed LLM licensing deals – and 35% are negotiating one right now. Large publishers are moving faster in this space, with 60% having signed deals, compared with just 20% of smaller indie publishers.

Even in the headlong rush to understand and use AI, consumers, and especially brands, ultimately remain wary. The IAB report found that 40% of AI users are now daily users, but 57% said they routinely double-check what AI tells them. So, it tracks that the editorial authority of trusted publisher brands stands out as a gold standard in LLM search.

Legacy be damned.

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