New York State recently passed a law requiring increased transparency when "synthetically produced virtual performers" are used in advertisements. In response, Amazon has now mandated that third-party sellers must label all product images and videos that contain AI-generated human figures.
A copy of the notification obtained by the media shows that Amazon informed sellers of this policy change on Wednesday. The policy requires sellers to add specific metadata keywords to product images and all "A+ Content" (videos and various graphic materials on product detail pages) before uploading them.
"Recent regulations require disclosure if photorealistic AI-generated human figures are present in advertising images or videos," Amazon wrote in the notice.
The New York State law, which took effect last month, mandates that businesses disclose when they use "synthetically produced virtual performers" to replace human actors in advertisements. The regulations apply to "digitally created material that closely resembles a real person." New York Governor Kathy Hochul called this the first law of its kind in the United States.
"If the public cannot determine whether the content they are viewing is not real, AI-generated virtual characters and altered material will weaken people's ability to distinguish between true and false information," a statement from Governor Hochul's office said.
Amazon further explained in the notice that the rule does not apply to materials related to film, television, or game characters, and images of real people that have been modified by AI do not require this labeling.
Amazon stated that the platform will add identifiers on qualifying product pages to alert consumers that the image or related content contains AI-generated human figures. It is currently unclear what specific criteria Amazon uses to determine whether to display this label.
Amazon has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Internally, Amazon has been promoting artificial intelligence technology and consistently integrating AI into its various business operations. The platform has optimized product titles and detail descriptions to improve the likelihood of being recognized by AI search; invested in the upgraded shopping version of the Alexa voice assistant; and launched a feature that displays AI-generated product concepts in real-time in the search bar based on user search terms.
An increasing number of Amazon third-party sellers are using AI to create product listing copy, images, and other materials, with many directly using Amazon's official tools.
Third-party sellers are the backbone of Amazon's core retail business, accounting for over 60% of items sold on the platform's marketplace.
Currently, there is no federal law in the United States requiring companies to disclose that advertising materials were generated by artificial intelligence.
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