Amazon requires a contains-synthetic-performer tag on product images that feature AI-generated people — but not every image needs it. Over-tag and it looks off; miss one and you carry compliance risk. This guide draws the line, especially for the cases that are hard to call.
For the background on the rule, see Amazon's AI image rules explained. Here we focus on one question: does this specific image need the tag?
The one-line test
Is the person in the frame conjured by AI — generated to look like a real human? Yes — tag it. No — don't.
Everything else is an extension of that.
Decision table
| Image situation | Tag? |
|---|---|
| Fully AI-generated virtual model | ✅ Yes |
| AI face-swap / AI outfit-swap model | ✅ Yes |
| Fully synthetic human product shot | ✅ Yes |
| Real model, photographed (no AI) | ❌ No |
| Real photo + AI retouch / skin smoothing | ❌ No |
| TV / game / movie character | ❌ No |
| Product-only shot, no people | ❌ No |
The edge cases, one by one
A real photo, but AI-smoothed or retouched. No tag. Amazon explicitly exempts "real people altered with AI." What matters is that the person was actually photographed; AI only polished the result.
AI-swapped background, real photographed person. The person is real, so it generally falls outside "synthetic performer" — the rule targets synthetic people, not backgrounds. If platform policy is refined later, watch official updates to be safe.
AI changed only part of the frame, e.g. a new hairstyle. If the subject is still a recognizable real person with a local touch-up, it's close to "AI-retouched real person" and usually needs no tag. But if the edit turns them into a figure who doesn't exist, tag it. The pivot is always: is the person shown real, or made by AI?
TV, game and movie characters. Explicitly exempt, even when those characters are themselves CG.
Default when unsure: if the person was made by AI, tag it — tagging costs nothing, missing one carries the risk.
What non-compliance costs
The tag is a compliance signal the platform reads. Without it, you may face:
- Image rejection: flagged as non-compliant at upload or review, image unusable;
- Search suppression: the listing's ranking is pushed down, cutting visibility;
- Manual review: the account is flagged for extra scrutiny, slowing turnaround;
- Compliance score impact: repeated issues drag down overall account health.
For cross-border sellers, these outweigh the few minutes it takes to tag the images.
Once you know it needs tagging
When a batch needs the tag, don't edit files one at a time — use a batch tool: drop a folder, write in one pass, verify each file, download a ZIP. Full steps here: How to batch-tag AI images for Amazon.