AI-generated product images: Merchant Center's IPTC label rule

What it usually looks like on a store

Stores run into this after generating lifestyle shots or product photos with an AI tool, then passing them through an editor, a compressor or an image app that drops the file's metadata. The picture looks fine; the label Google asks for is gone. Titles and descriptions written by AI are a separate field in the feed, not something your storefront shows.

What Google says

Merchant Center requires every product image made with generative AI to carry metadata saying so, for example the IPTC DigitalSourceType value TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, and tells merchants not to strip that metadata (CompositeSynthetic and AlgorithmicMedia are also listed as codes to preserve). AI-written titles and descriptions must be sent in structured_title / structured_description with digital_source_type set to trained_algorithmic_media instead of the plain title / description attributes. If both the structured and plain attribute are sent, Google only uses the plain one. Google's current pages describe this as a requirement but do not name a specific disapproval message for it.

All images created using generative AI must contain meta data indicating that the image was AI-generated (for example, the IPTC DigitalSourceTypeTrainedAlgorithmicMedia metadata tag).Google, Image link [image_link]

Don't remove embedded metadata tags such as the IPTC DigitalSourceType property from images created using generative AI tools, for example Product Studio.Google, Image link [image_link]

TrainedAlgorithmicMedia: The image was created using a model derived from sampled content.Google, Image link [image_link]

CompositeSynthetic: The image is a composite that includes synthetic elements.Google, Image link [image_link]

Also seen as: "AI image metadata", "Structured title [structured_title]", "Structured description [structured_description]", "trained_algorithmic_media".

How to fix it

Based on Google's help pages, in plain language:

Keep the IPTC DigitalSourceType metadata (TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, CompositeSynthetic or AlgorithmicMedia) embedded in every AI-generated or AI-edited product image; don't let editing tools, image CDNs or export steps strip it.
Apply this to the image link [image_link] and to images submitted as additional_image_link / lifestyle_image_link.
Submit AI-generated titles in structured_title with digital_source_type trained_algorithmic_media and the text in the content sub-attribute, and drop the plain title attribute for those products (Google uses title if both are sent).
Submit AI-generated descriptions the same way in structured_description.
Where local AI-ad disclosure laws apply (EU, India, New York per Google), label the assets or use the AI content label setting.

What to check on your website

One of our checks covers ai-generated product images and text not labeled directly:

AI-generated images are labelled: Product images that a generative AI tool made keep the IPTC metadata that says so (DigitalSourceType TrainedAlgorithmicMedia), which Merchant Center requires.

Requesting a review

No specific review flow is documented for this requirement. Product data changes are picked up on the next feed fetch / product update.

Questions

Can a website scan fix "AI-generated product images and text not labeled"?

Partly. We check your product pages' markup for the related fields (ai-generated images are labelled), but the fix itself is in your product data in Merchant Center or your feed app. Fix the data first, then re-scan to confirm the page agrees with it.

Sources

Quotes checked against Google's pages. Listvane is an independent tool made by Great Work LLC. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google. Google and Google Merchant Center are trademarks of Google LLC.

Do AI-generated product images need a label in Merchant Center?