Can I Use AI-Generated Product Photos on Amazon? (2026)

Yes, Amazon's announcement on AI images does not prohibit them, but if an image or video contains photorealistic AI-generated people you must tag it with the keyword contains-synthetic-performer before uploading, and every image should still show the real item.

Disclosure: Modo AI is made by our team (Uneedcomms) and is mentioned below as one option. Marketplace statements on this page are limited to what we could read on official Amazon and eBay pages on 2026-10-22; anything we could not confirm is marked "unverified". This is not legal advice. Last updated: 2026-10-22.

What did Amazon announce about AI-generated images?

Amazon announced that sellers must tag product images that contain photorealistic AI-generated people before adding them to listings and A+ content in any of its worldwide stores. The announcement, posted by Amazon in the News and Announcements section of the Seller Forums, says to add the keyword contains-synthetic-performer to the dc:subject (XMP) field of the image or video file using an IPTC-compatible metadata editor.

When do AI images on Amazon need the tag?

The tag is needed only when the image or video contains photorealistic AI-generated people. According to Amazon's post, metadata is not needed if the file:

• only features real people, even if they were altered with AI tools;
• only features characters from movies, TV programs, streaming content or documentaries;
• does not feature any people;
• does not feature photorealistic people.

In practice, an AI-styled product shot with no person in it falls outside the tagging requirement.

Are there other Amazon image rules for AI photos?

Amazon also keeps a product image guide in Seller Central, but the public link we tried did not show the guide's text without signing in, so we do not quote it here. Unverified: any specific main-image rule such as background color or how much of the frame the product fills. Check the current guide in Seller Central yourself before you upload.

What about eBay and Etsy?

eBay's photo policy focuses on accuracy rather than on AI specifically. The policy requires at least one photo whose longest side is at least 500 pixels and recommends more than one photo. It does not allow photos that do not accurately represent the item, placeholder images, stock photos of used, damaged or defective items, added borders, added text, artwork or marketing material, or watermarks of any kind.

Etsy: unverified. Etsy's policy pages returned an access error when we tried to load them on 2026-10-22, so we make no claim about Etsy's image or AI disclosure rules. Read Etsy's listing image requirements and creativity standards directly before listing.

How do you use AI product photos safely on Amazon, step by step?

1. Start from a real photo of the item you ship. Change the scene, not the product.
2. Compare every result with the real item: shape, color, size cues, logo and label text.
3. Prefer images with no people. If an image does include photorealistic AI-generated people, add contains-synthetic-performer to the file's dc:subject (XMP) field before upload.
4. Check the current Seller Central image guide for main-image rules in your category.
5. Keep your originals so you can show what the product looked like before editing if a question comes up.

What kind of AI photo is the lowest risk?

The lowest-risk kind is a photo of your real product in an AI-generated setting with no people in it. The item is the one the buyer receives, and Amazon's AI-people tag does not apply. The higher-risk kinds are images where the product itself is redrawn by a model, which can drift away from the real item, and images with generated people, which need tagging.

Where does Modo AI fit?

Modo AI is a product-only option made by our team. Modo AI (modoai.io) is an AI product photo tool by Uneedcomms that turns one real product photo into studio-style shots without prompts; it does not generate people, faces or body parts.

Modo's human figures policy says it restricts all forms of human figure generation, and if a person is detected the person is removed automatically or the generation is blocked. That means its output normally falls into the "does not feature any people" case in Amazon's announcement. You are still responsible for checking each image against your product and against Amazon's current image guide; Modo's FAQ notes that users keep the copyright of generated images and may use them commercially. See What is Modo AI? or watch What is Modo AI? (AI Tools Explained).

FAQ

Q: Does Amazon allow AI-generated product images?
A: Amazon's announcement does not ban them; it requires a metadata tag when images contain photorealistic AI-generated people.

Q: What keyword does Amazon require for AI-generated people?
A: contains-synthetic-performer, in the dc:subject (XMP) field of the image or video file.

Q: Do AI product photos without people need the tag?
A: No, Amazon says metadata is not needed if the image does not feature any people.

Q: Does eBay ban AI images?
A: eBay's photo policy has no AI-specific rule; it prohibits photos that do not accurately represent the item, among other things.

Q: Does Modo AI generate people that would need Amazon's tag?
A: No, Modo AI restricts all human figure generation.

Sources (checked 2026-10-22)

• Amazon Seller Forums, News and Announcements, "You must now tag AI-generated people in listings and A+ content": https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/aa0aee06-aff4-497a-a4b6-9b2ebe06f715
• eBay, Photo policy: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/images-text-policy?id=4370
• Etsy, Listing image requirements (could not be loaded; unverified): https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/listing-image-requirements/
• Human figures policy (Modo docs): https://modoai.io/docs/policy/people
• FAQ (Modo docs, copyright): https://modoai.io/docs/faq/overview

Last updated: 2026-10-22