Perplexity blocks Time's markdown ads from its AI results

Perplexity has blocked markdown ads that Time began running in the agent-readable versions of its pages, calling the practice deceptive, per Digiday. The ads, produced by ad tech firm Mobian, embed FAQ-style sponsored content in the markdown pages AI agents read separately from the human-facing HTML; Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer said publishers running “deceptive advertising like markdown ads” face a reputational downgrade and trust-score penalty. Time launched the markdown ads about two weeks earlier, with Ally Bank and the Project Management Institute as early clients.