Overview

Amazon has begun policing product images that are generated by AI or heavy editing, flagging any primary photo that does not show the actual item. The crackdown started in early 2024 and aims to protect buyer confidence by ensuring every main picture is a true photograph. Sellers need to audit their catalogs now or risk warnings, listing removal, or account suspension.

Key Points

• AI‑crafted renders — Many vendors replace camera shots with 3‑D renders or AI‑produced visuals that appear flawless but have never been captured from a physical product. For example, a kitchen gadget listed with a glossy, perfectly symmetrical image may actually be a computer‑generated model.
• Advanced verification algorithms — Amazon’s backend now runs machine‑learning models that scan lighting patterns, texture granularity, and shadow behavior to differentiate real photos from synthetic ones. The system can flag an image where highlights are uniformly smooth, a hallmark of CGI.
• Tighter policy enforcement — The marketplace’s “misleading content” clause now explicitly requires the primary image to be a real photograph; violations can trigger warnings, temporary removal, or permanent suspension. Sellers reported a 30 % increase in removal notices after the rule change.
• Impact on buyer trust — Data from Amazon’s returns department shows that listings with inaccurate photos generate up to 12 % higher return rates, prompting the platform to prioritize authenticity. Shoppers who receive a product that looks different from the main image are more likely to leave negative feedback.
• Designated illustration zones — Amazon still permits stylized graphics in “enhanced brand content” or A+ modules, but these must be clearly labeled as illustrations and cannot occupy the main image slot. A brand can showcase a lifestyle scene in the fourth image slot if it adds a caption such as “Illustration: not the actual product”.

How Amazon Detects Non‑Real Photos

1. Metadata inspection — The system extracts EXIF information such as camera make, lens model, and capture timestamp. Files that list software names like “Blender” or lack typical camera tags trigger an automatic review; a PNG exported from a rendering engine will be flagged.