Amazon Mandates AI-Generated People Labels After New York Law

Amazon has implemented a new policy requiring third-party sellers to identify and label AI-generated people in product images and videos, responding to New York legislation that took effect last month.

The e-commerce giant notified its seller community Wednesday that they must apply specific metadata tags to product images and enhanced content before uploading them to the marketplace. The requirement covers photorealistic AI-generated people appearing in standard product photos and in "A+ content"—the videos and enhanced graphics that appear on listing pages.

The New York law behind the change

The policy follows New York legislation that mandates disclosure whenever "synthetic performers" appear in advertising. The law defines synthetic performers as digitally created media indistinguishable from real people. Governor Kathy Hochul described it as "first-in-the-nation" legislation, with her office stating that without proper notice, AI-generated content "can undermine one's ability to accurately distill fact from fiction."

Amazon plans to attach visible markers to qualifying listings so consumers can identify when AI-generated people appear, though the company has not specified exactly when these markers will be triggered. The policy exempts content depicting TV, video game, or movie characters, and does not cover real people whose likenesses have been modified with AI tools.

Why it matters

Third-party sellers account for more than 60% of units sold on Amazon's platform, and a growing number are using AI tools—including those Amazon itself provides—to generate listing copy, images, and promotional material. As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated and widespread in e-commerce, transparency requirements like these establish baseline standards for consumer awareness. The New York law also signals a broader regulatory trend, as California has moved to mandate watermarks in AI-generated images and video, even as federal legislation remains absent.

Broader platform movement

Amazon joins other major platforms implementing AI-content labeling. YouTube announced in May it would automatically apply AI labels to videos when its systems detect significant photorealistic AI use, adding an enforcement layer beyond creator disclosure requirements. Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest have all introduced some form of AI-content labeling, though both TikTok and Meta have faced scrutiny over their handling of ads using AI-generated influencers to promote questionable products.

Currently, no federal law requires companies to disclose when advertising content has been created using AI, leaving states to establish their own frameworks for synthetic media transparency.

These details were first reported by CNBC and Quartz.