Amazon Mandates AI-Generated People Labels After New York Law

Amazon implements disclosure requirements for synthetic imagery

Amazon has introduced a new requirement for its third-party sellers to label product images and videos containing AI-generated people, a policy shift prompted by recent New York legislation mandating transparency around synthetic performers in advertising.

The e-commerce giant notified sellers Wednesday of the change, according to an announcement reviewed by CNBC. Sellers must now tag images and supplemental content—what Amazon calls "A+ content"—with specific metadata keywords before uploading them to the platform.

Why it matters

With third-party sellers accounting for more than 60% of goods sold on Amazon's marketplace, this policy affects a substantial portion of the platform's product listings. As AI image generation tools become more accessible and widely adopted by sellers, the disclosure requirement establishes a precedent for how major e-commerce platforms will handle synthetic content transparency. The move also signals how state-level AI regulations are beginning to reshape operational policies at major tech companies in the absence of federal standards.

New York's synthetic performer law drives change

The policy responds to New York legislation that took effect last month, requiring companies to disclose when "synthetic performers" replace human actors in advertising. Governor Kathy Hochul's office characterized the law as first-of-its-kind, designed to help consumers distinguish real content from digitally created media.

"Without notice that the content the public is viewing is not real, AI-generated synthetic performers and manipulated media can undermine one's ability to accurately distill fact from fiction," Hochul's office stated.

Amazon's announcement clarifies that the requirement excludes content featuring characters from television, video games, and movies. It also doesn't apply to images of real people, even when those images have been modified using AI tools.

Implementation details remain unclear

Amazon indicated it will display an indicator on product listings to inform consumers when images or content feature AI-generated people "where applicable." However, the company has not specified the criteria it will use to determine when these labels appear to shoppers.

The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on implementation specifics.

Broader context of AI adoption and regulation

Amazon has increasingly integrated AI across its operations, from optimizing product listing titles for AI system discovery to launching features that generate product suggestions in real time based on search queries. Many third-party sellers have adopted AI tools—including those provided by Amazon—to create text, images, and other listing content.

No federal law currently requires companies to disclose AI-generated advertising content, leaving states to establish their own standards. California implemented requirements earlier this year for large AI providers to embed watermarks in synthetic content.

Other major platforms including Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube have introduced AI-generated content labels, though enforcement has drawn criticism. Both TikTok and Meta have faced scrutiny for inadequately labeling advertisements featuring AI-generated influencers promoting questionable products.

These details were first reported by CNBC.