Amazon to sellers: Follow new NY rules that the governor says 'first-in-the-nation law'

Amazon has asked third-party sellers to follow new rules for product listings after New York introduced what Governor Kathy Hochul called the "first-in-the-nation" law that requires companies to disclose when advertisements use AI-generated people. According to a CNBC report, the e-commerce giant has sent an email to sellers instructing them to label images and videos featuring photorealistic AI-generated people before uploading them to the marketplace. The move comes after New York's new law on "synthetic performers" took effect last month, making it one of the first state-level efforts in the US to increase transparency around AI-generated advertising.What Amazon told sellersAccording to a CNBC report, Amazon informed sellers on July 22 that they must tag product images and videos containing AI-generated people with specific metadata keywords. The requirement applies to product images as well as A+ content, which includes videos and other graphics displayed on product listing pages."Recent legislation requires disclosure when images or videos in advertisements contain photorealistic AI-generated people," Amazon said in the notice sent to sellers.Amazon also instructed its sellers to add an indicator on product listings to let shoppers know when images or other content feature AI-generated people, where applicable.What New York's AI law saysThe policy follows a New York law that took effect last month. The legislation requires companies to disclose when "synthetic performers" are used instead of human actors in advertisements. The law applies to digitally created media designed to look like real people.Governor Kathy Hochul described the measure as a "first-in-the-nation" law.In announcing the legislation, Hochul's office said AI-generated performers and manipulated media can make it harder for people to tell the difference between real and fake content if proper disclosures are not provided.Which sellers are exempted from Amazon’s special instructions Amazon said the new requirement does not apply to content featuring television, movie or video game characters. It also does not apply to content that includes real people whose images have been modified using AI.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.