Amazon is drawing a clearer line between real people and AI-created ones on its marketplace.
Amazon is requiring sellers to disclose when product images feature photorealistic AI-generated people, making it one of the first major e-commerce platforms to implement seller requirements tied to New York’s synthetic performer disclosure law.
According to a notice sent to sellers on Wednesday and reviewed by CNBC, sellers must identify qualifying product images and “A+ content” such as videos and enhanced graphics used on product pages before uploading them.
Amazon told sellers that “Recent legislation requires disclosure when images or videos in advertisements contain photorealistic AI-generated people.”
Under Amazon’s product image guidance, sellers must add the metadata keyword contains-synthetic-performer to qualifying images using an IPTC-compatible image editor that supports embedded metadata. Amazon said it will use that information to display a disclosure on product listings “where applicable.”
The policy follows New York’s General Business Law Section 396-b, which took effect on June 9. The law requires businesses that create commercial advertisements and know they contain “synthetic performers” to clearly disclose that fact.
New York defines synthetic performers as digitally created media that appear to depict a real person.
The law imposes a $1,000 civil penalty for a first violation and $5,000 for subsequent offenses. While it targets advertisers rather than platforms that merely distribute ads, Amazon’s new policy places the responsibility for identifying AI-generated people on sellers before listings go live.
What sellers need to know
Amazon said the requirement applies only to photorealistic people created entirely by AI and not based on a real person.
The company said sellers should not apply the disclosure for images containing real people, even if those images were edited with AI. The rule also excludes TV, movie, and video game characters, images without people, and non-photorealistic characters.
The public guidance does not specify a grace period or separate penalties for missing the metadata. However, Amazon’s broader image policies allow the company to remove noncompliant images or suppress listings that fail to meet marketplace requirements.
It remains unclear whether previously uploaded images must be updated, an issue Amazon’s public documentation does not explicitly address.
Amazon’s new requirement shows how state-level AI regulation is beginning to reshape e-commerce platform policies even without comprehensive federal rules.
For sellers, the change adds another compliance step when creating marketing content, particularly as AI-generated imagery becomes more common. For shoppers, the labels could make it easier to distinguish between products shown with real people and those featuring fully synthetic models.
As generative AI becomes a standard tool for creating product imagery, disclosure requirements like New York’s could become a model for other states, pushing marketplaces to build AI transparency directly into seller workflows.
Other News: Amazon has reportedly laid off employees in parts of its AGI organization while continuing to ramp up AI investment.
