Amazon cracks down on use of AI images by sellers after New York law - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reports that Amazon is requiring third-party marketplace sellers to identify product photos, videos and enhanced listing content that include AI-generated people. The company told sellers Wednesday that they must use designated metadata keywords before uploading such material. Amazon said the update follows recent legislation requiring disclosure when advertising images or videos contain photorealistic people created by artificial intelligence.

The change is tied to a New York law that recently took effect and requires companies to disclose when a “synthetic performer” is used instead of a human actor in advertising, according to CNBC. The law covers digitally created media that appears to show a real person. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has described the measure as the first of its kind and said notice is needed so viewers can distinguish real content from AI-generated or manipulated media.

Amazon’s notice says the rule does not apply to content featuring television, film or video game characters, or to images of real people that have been altered using AI. CNBC reported that Amazon plans to add an indicator on relevant listings to tell shoppers when content includes AI-generated people, though the criteria for displaying that label were not clear. Amazon did not immediately comment to CNBC.

The policy comes as sellers increasingly use AI to create listing text, images and other promotional material, including through Amazon’s own tools. Third-party merchants make up a major part of Amazon’s retail marketplace, accounting for more than 60% of goods sold on the platform, CNBC reported. The development also reflects broader state and platform-level efforts to label AI-generated content in the absence of a federal disclosure law for AI-created advertising.