The rules side by side
Every rule below is quoted from the platform's own page, read on October 25, 2026. This is a summary of platform rules, not legal advice.
| Where you sell | AI images allowed? | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | AI images allowed?: Yes, if accurate | What you must do: Tag images with photorealistic AI-made people: contains-synthetic-performer |
| Etsy | AI images allowed?: Yes, except one photo | What you must do: Keep at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background |
| Shopify | AI images allowed?: No rule of its own | What you must do: Follow the rules of every channel you sell on |
| Google (Shopping and free listings) | AI images allowed?: Yes, if tagged | What you must do: Tag every AI-made image: IPTC DigitalSourceType TrainedAlgorithmicMedia |
One rule is the same everywhere: the image has to show what the buyer gets. Amazon says every image must "accurately represent the product you're selling". Etsy says "All images must accurately reflect the item's true appearance, including color, condition, scale, and materials."
Amazon: tag AI-made people
Amazon's product image requirements don't ban AI images. They have one AI rule: "Some jurisdictions may require disclosure when product images contain photorealistic AI-generated people. If your image includes photorealistic AI-generated people, you must tag that image with the appropriate metadata before uploading it to Amazon." The tag is the keyword contains-synthetic-performer in the file's XMP dc:subject field. Images with only real people, even if edited with AI tools, don't need it, and neither do images with no people.
With the free ExifTool, one command adds it (ExifTool keeps the old file as lifestyle.jpg_original):
exiftool -XMP-dc:Subject+=contains-synthetic-performer lifestyle.jpg
The full list of what the images after the main one may show is in Amazon secondary and lifestyle image rules.
Etsy: one unedited photo, and no false expectations
Etsy's image requirements say: "Your listing must include at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background, meaning the photo hasn't been edited or changed in any way." Outside that photo, sellers "can still use photo-editing tools, including AI, to adjust lighting or color, crop or resize images, or change backgrounds."
- "You can't use images that create false expectations about what the buyer will receive."
- No editing to hide flaws or damage, or to make the item look different from what ships.
- Patterns, recipes and instructions need a real result made from them, "not an AI-generated or simulated result".
- Etsy suggests saying in your description which photos were edited, and making the first photo "the clearest, most realistic representation of the item".
An image that redraws the item itself goes further than the edits Etsy lists, so hold it to the false-expectations rule: compare it with the real item before it goes up. Sizes and crops are in Etsy listing photo size.
Shopify, and Google if you sell there
Shopify has no AI image rule of its own. Its Acceptable Use Policy says: "you're responsible for following the rules of your platform, your partners, and the law." Shopify's own AI image editor puts "an invisible watermark" on every image it generates, which "doesn't restrict commercial use but can't be removed."
If your products also go to Google, for example through Shopify's Google & YouTube app, Google's rule applies. Its AI-generated content page says: "All images created using generative AI must contain meta data indicating that the image was AI-generated by using the IPTC DigitalSourceType TrainedAlgorithmicMedia metadata tag." Google accepts AI-made images as the main, additional and lifestyle images. ExifTool adds this tag too:
exiftool -XMP-iptcExt:DigitalSourceType=http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia lifestyle.jpg
One catch: we saw no XMP metadata, where both tags are stored, on 196 Shopify-processed product images (11 stores, read on October 25, 2026). So check yours: download the image from your live product page and read its metadata (exiftool -XMP:all image.jpg). If the tag is gone, ask Shopify support how to keep it.
Who owns an AI-made image
In the US, the Copyright Office concluded in January 2025 that "the outputs of generative AI can be protected by copyright only where a human author has determined sufficient expressive elements", which "can include situations where a human-authored work is perceptible in an AI output, or a human makes creative arrangements or modifications of the output, but not the mere provision of prompts." Your own product photo is your work. The parts a model made may not be yours to protect if a competitor copies them.
Before you upload an AI image
- Compare it with the real item: color, size, materials, and anything the image adds that isn't in the box.
- Does it show a photorealistic AI-made person? Add Amazon's tag before uploading to Amazon.
- Selling on Google? Add the DigitalSourceType tag, and check it's still there on the live image.
- On Etsy, keep one unedited photo of the item, and say in the description which photos were edited.
Where ReddStudio fits
ReddStudio's images are AI-made: it redraws your product photo, product included, into a main image and lifestyle and infographic images. It adds Amazon's contains-synthetic-performer tag to the listing images that show a person. New images also carry Google's DigitalSourceType tag (trainedAlgorithmicMedia) in the file's XMP; images made before we added it don't, so tag those with the command above. If your products reach Google through Shopify, check it's still on your live images (see the Shopify section above). Check each image against your real product before you upload it. Your first listing's six images are free as a watermarked preview.
FAQ
Can I use AI-generated product images on Amazon?
Yes. Amazon's image rules don't ban them, but every image must accurately represent the product and match its title. If an image shows a photorealistic person made entirely by AI, Amazon asks you to tag the file with contains-synthetic-performer before you upload it.
Does Etsy allow AI product photos?
Each listing needs at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background. Outside that photo, Etsy allows editing tools, including AI, to adjust lighting or color, crop or resize, or change backgrounds, as long as every image shows the item's true color, condition, scale and materials. Etsy suggests saying in your description which photos were edited.
Does Shopify have rules for AI images?
Shopify has no image rule of its own for AI. Its Acceptable Use Policy says you are responsible for following the rules of your platform, your partners and the law, so the rules of wherever your products also appear, such as Google, still apply.
How do I mark an image as AI-generated for Google Shopping?
Google Merchant Center asks for the IPTC DigitalSourceType TrainedAlgorithmicMedia tag in the image's metadata. ExifTool adds it with one command, shown on this page. We saw no XMP metadata on 196 Shopify-processed product images, so check whether the tag survives on yours.
Are AI-generated product images copyrighted?
In the US, the Copyright Office concluded in January 2025 that AI output is protected only where a human author determined enough of its expressive elements, and that prompts alone are not enough. Your own product photo is your work; the parts a model made may not be yours to protect.
