Zendy unveils AI revenue-sharing model to compensate academic publishers

13 Mar

Zendy has introduced a revenue-sharing model for AI-generated references, allowing academic publishers to receive compensation when their paywalled research is cited by Zendy’s AI-powered research assistant, ZAIA.

The model, which uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), is designed to create a structured payment system for publishers while ensuring transparency in AI-driven academic research.

Compensating publishers for AI-generated references

Academic publishers have raised concerns about AI models using their content without proper attribution or revenue sharing. Many large language models (LLMs) are trained on publicly available research, as major publishers have been reluctant to license their work to AI companies. Zendy’s approach introduces a licensing-based model, where publishers receive compensation based on the number of references provided in ZAIA’s responses.

Kamran Kardan, co-founder of Zendy, said the initiative is a step toward integrating AI and academic publishing in a sustainable way:

"This is a positive shift for the academic publishing industry. For the first time, AI is being used to drive revenue back to publishers instead of bypassing them. Ethical AI means giving credit—and compensation—where it’s due. In the long term, we believe even authors should share in this revenue."

Publisher partnerships and open access considerations

Zendy is working with publishers including IT Governance, Lexxion, British Online Archives, and Lived Places Publishing to implement this model. The RAG system is also available for open-access publishers, and Zendy is exploring alternative compensation structures for open-access content.

ZAIA provides researchers with reference-backed responses by retrieving content from both open-access and paywalled sources. This allows institutions and individual users to access peer-reviewed, high-quality materials while ensuring publishers are fairly compensated for their contributions to AI-generated knowledge.

AI and the future of academic content licensing

As AI-driven research tools expand, access to diverse academic content remains essential for accurate and unbiased outputs. Zendy’s revenue-sharing model is positioned as an alternative to traditional AI training methods, encouraging collaboration between publishers and AI developers through mutual licensing agreements.

Kardan said the shift could redefine how AI companies engage with academic publishers.

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