OpenAI signs Getty Images deal: licensed photos come to ChatGPT

As of June 22, 2026, OpenAI and Getty Images have signed a multi-year agreement to bring Getty Images’ licensed photos and other visual material into ChatGPT’s search and discovery results. Getty Images says the deal is for display only, and doesn’t cover model training.

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So what does that mean in actual use? ChatGPT users may start seeing Getty Images photos inside ChatGPT, with attribution attached. Beyond that, a lot is still unclear. Neither OpenAI nor Getty Images has said how often those images will appear, whether they’ll come with licensing links or click-through options, how attribution will look in different parts of ChatGPT, or how much money is attached to the agreement.

Getty Images’ stock reportedly jumped by as much as 200% in pre-market trading on June 22, 2026. That’s a huge market response. It also points to a real change in where Getty Images is heading.

That shift stands out because Getty Images had taken a harder line with image-generation companies before, including its 2023 lawsuit against Stability AI. Later, though, the company moved further into licensing deals, including a similar agreement with Perplexity in October 2025.

If you use ChatGPT for news, entertainment, travel, or general reference searches, this is one to watch. Bringing in licensed visuals could make answers feel more dependable, and it may ease some of the copyright concerns that usually come with AI-generated or loosely sourced imagery.

There are still gaps in what’s been disclosed. Getty Images and OpenAI haven’t said how photographers and other contributors will be paid, or whether creators will get any way to opt out.

As OpenAI starts rolling the feature out, Getty Images content will show up inside ChatGPT’s search and discovery responses.