Amazon’s New AI Image Rule: 5 Steps to Stay Compliant

Your product images just got a tiny paperwork side quest

AI can help you create product visuals in minutes, but Amazon’s latest media guidance means one kind of image needs an extra label before it reaches shoppers. If a listing image or video shows a photorealistic person who was entirely generated by AI, you’ll need to add specific metadata before uploading it.

The magic phrase is contains-synthetic-performer. It sounds like a robot’s job title, but it’s simply the keyword Amazon says to place in the file’s XMP dc:subject field. Amazon may then show shoppers an indicator that the media includes AI-generated people. Here’s how to handle the change without turning your asset library into a detective novel.

1. Start with an honest media audit

Make a list of the images and videos your customers can see, then flag anything that includes a human figure. Check product detail pages, A+ Content, Brand Story, Store assets, product videos, A+ videos, Store videos, and advertising videos. Your old “final-final-v7” folder may contain more surprises than your returns report.

Focus on the key threshold: the person must look photorealistic and be entirely AI-generated, rather than based on a real person. A real model who’s been color-corrected or lightly edited with AI doesn’t fall into the same bucket. A cartoon character, a non-photorealistic figure, or an image with no people doesn’t need this specific tag.

2. Separate real people from synthetic people

Open each flagged asset and ask three quick questions: Is there a person? Do they look photorealistic? Were they created from scratch by an AI tool? If the answer is yes to all three, put the file on your tagging list.

Partial visibility doesn’t automatically get you off the hook. A half face, an obscured face, or even one hand can still count if the media depicts a photorealistic, entirely AI-generated human. When the pixels are playing hide-and-seek, use the safest interpretation and tag the file.

3. Add the keyword before you upload

For listing, Store, Brand Story, and video assets outside A+ Content, Amazon’s guidance says you’ll need to add the keyword before upload with an IPTC-compatible metadata editor. Put contains-synthetic-performer in the XMP dc:subject field, save the file, and keep the tagged copy in your asset library.

Don’t rely on a filename such as model_ai_tagged.jpg. A helpful filename is great for your team, but it won’t replace the metadata field Amazon checks. Make a simple naming convention, such as adding -synthetic-tagged after the file has been updated, so nobody grabs the untagged twin later.

4. Use the A+ shortcut when it’s available

A+ Content gives you an easier path. When you upload through A+ Content Manager Creative Assets, select the “AI-generated people” checkbox and Amazon can apply the metadata for you. Media created with Amazon’s own A+ generative AI features, such as Creative Studio, is tagged automatically.

That shortcut doesn’t mean you can skip the audit. Track which assets were tagged through the uploader and which were tagged in the file itself. A small spreadsheet with the ASIN, asset name, media type, upload date, and tagging method can save you a frantic search when a listing needs an update.

5. Clean up older assets before your next refresh

Amazon’s seller guidance says compliance is mandatory, and it recommends updating older content as well. You don’t have to rebuild every listing tonight, but you should put older media on your next content-refresh schedule. Start with your best sellers, ads, and pages you’ll edit before the next major sales push.

While you’re there, check that the image still matches the product, the person is using the product correctly, and the claims on the page are supportable. A metadata fix is useful, but it won’t rescue a picture that makes a phone case look like a lunchbox.

Keep the rule from becoming a recurring headache

Give one person ownership of your media checklist, add the metadata step to your upload SOP, and store tagged originals separately from working files. CentralDesk can help you keep listing work and seller tasks organized, so compliance jobs don’t disappear beneath the daily avalanche of orders, messages, and spreadsheet tabs.

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Your next move: pick one top-selling ASIN today, audit every buyer-facing asset, and tag any photorealistic AI-generated person before you upload or refresh it. Five minutes of file hygiene beats a surprise policy headache later.