Amazon Now Requires Tagging AI-Generated People in Images

July, 2026
Abdullah Zafar

Amazon Introduces Metadata Tagging Requirement for AI-Generated People in Listing Images

Amazon’s new policy on AI-generated images requires sellers to tag product images and videos that contain photorealistic AI-generated people before those files are added to listings or A+ content. The requirement applies across all Amazon stores worldwide and follows recent legislation that mandates disclosure when advertisements feature synthetic human figures. Amazon will show shoppers an indicator on images that carry the tag.

What’s Changing?

Any product image or video containing a photorealistic AI-generated person must be tagged with specific metadata before upload to a listing or A+ content module.

The tag is applied to the file itself, not through a setting in Seller Central. Using an IPTC-compatible metadata editor, sellers add the keyword contains-synthetic-performer to the dc:subject (XMP) field of the image or video. Where that metadata is present, Amazon adds a customer-facing indicator noting the image includes AI-generated people.

Which Images Are Exempt?

The requirement is narrower than it first appears. You do not need to add the metadata if your image or video:

Features only real people: This includes real people whose appearance has been retouched or altered with AI tools.
Features only characters from published works: Figures from films, TV programs, streaming content, documentaries, or video games, such as movie poster art or game cover art.
Features no people at all: Product-only shots, packaging, and infographics without human figures.
Features only non-photorealistic people: Illustrated, cartoon, or clearly stylized figures.

Why Amazon Introduced This

Amazon attributes the change to recent legislation requiring disclosure when images or videos in advertisements contain photorealistic AI-generated people. New York’s synthetic performer disclosure law took effect on June 9, 2026, and carries civil penalties for undisclosed use in advertising. Rather than limiting the rule to a single state, Amazon has applied the tagging requirement to every marketplace it operates.

How to Stay Compliant

Audit your catalog first: Identify which ASINs use AI-generated human figures. Start with main images and highest-traffic listings, then work through A+ modules and Brand Store pages.
Tag at the production stage: Metadata belongs in the asset creation workflow, not a cleanup pass after upload. Retrofitting a large catalog is significantly more work than tagging correctly the first time.
Make it a delivery requirement: If designers, agencies, or freelancers produce your creative, require them to identify synthetic human elements and apply the metadata before handoff.
Keep your creative records: Briefs and generation prompts document what an asset was intended to depict, which matters because the underlying law turns partly on knowledge and intent.
Consider hybrid production: An AI-generated background behind a real model does not trigger the requirement, so it remains a viable option where a lifestyle setting is needed.

What Amazon Has Not Clarified

Amazon has not defined the lower limit of what counts as a person. Sellers have publicly asked whether AI-generated hands, back-of-head shots, or full-body shots with no visible face fall inside the requirement, and Amazon has not yet responded. Amazon also has not published a compliance deadline, an enforcement process, or any stated consequence for untagged assets. Until that guidance exists, the safer approach is to treat ambiguous assets as in scope and tag them.

Key Takeaways

Announced: July 28, 2026, effective immediately
Applies To: Product images, product videos, and A+ content in all Amazon stores worldwide
Requirement: Add the keyword contains-synthetic-performer to the dc:subject (XMP) field
Trigger: Photorealistic AI-generated people only
Exempt: Real people (including AI-altered), characters from expressive works, images with no people, non-photorealistic figures
Customer Impact: Amazon displays an AI indicator on tagged images
Not Yet Defined: Enforcement process, compliance deadline, and whether partial figures such as hands qualify

Sellers using AI lifestyle imagery should audit their catalogs now and decide, category by category, which listings can carry a visible AI indicator and which are better served by product-only or real-model creative.

Need Help Staying Compliant with Amazon’s Latest Seller Requirements?

At SPCTEK, we help Amazon sellers stay ahead of platform policy changes and protect their listings from avoidable compliance issues. From creative audits and image metadata workflows to full-service account management, our team can help you bring your catalog into compliance without disrupting sales.

Whether you need a one-time audit of your AI-generated imagery or ongoing support managing your Amazon business, our team is here to help.