• Etsy has updated its Seller Handbook to include new guidance on how AI can be used
  • Products must include at least one unaltered listing image that shows the actual product
  • AI can still be used for some purposes, but misleading images will hopefully start to disappear

In the wake of Just Eat’s AI generated food image fiasco, Etsy has decided to update its policies to prevent AI being used to generate or edit images, create guides, or use bots to generate listings.

The new guidelines, enacted in October, are part of an effort to crack down on images, recipes, and instructions that have been partially or fully AI generated that could mislead customers — and it could help cut down on the torrents of AI slop that have infiltrated the internet.

“You, our seller community, have told us you’re concerned about your work appearing alongside items that use AI in misleading ways, and that it’s becoming harder for buyers to recognize your role in creating your items,” the announcement states. “We're taking an important first step to address these challenges.”

(Image credit: Etsy)

Etsy changes AI usage rules

The steps Etsy is taking include changes to how products are physically presented in images, how AI can be used to edit images, and how functional guides are written.

For a start, Etsy now requires at least one of the listing images to be a real photo of the actual item being sold with on a real background without any edits or alterations made. But this image doesn’t have to be the first image potential customers will see when viewing your listing.

But if you’re wondering about non-physical purchases — such as artwork printed by a third-party — Etsy will allow unedited mock ups from manufacturers for print-on-demand services to be used as the ‘real’ product photo. As for audio and digital downloads, Etsy says the imagery cannot mislead customers.

Don’t worry, AI editing is still allowed in some circumstances such as to change lighting and exposure or to resize an image. Backgrounds can also be AI generated as long as the actual product isn’t changed in any way, but using AI to alter the actual product by changing colors, condition, or features of an item is now a hard no in Etsy’s books.

Finally, when it comes to other products commonly listed for crafters or cooks, Etsy is changing how they can be written. Written work for instructions, patterns and recipes have to be fully written by the seller with an image representing the real results. So for a knitting pattern or bread recipe, the image must show the finished product.

To enforce better detection of AI generated or misleading content, Etsy says it is “investing in tools to better identify authentic versus misleading images and detect and remove listings that use AI to create fraudulent inventory.”

The platform is also expanding categories to include misleading AI imagery when reporting listings, which will be used to “help us better understand how members perceive potential AI misuse.”

If you are currently using AI generated images for products on Etsy, you still have some time to update listings and won’t face immediate enforcement. The company says it will “provide tips to help you accurately represent your items and meet our photo expectations,” with guidance also provided to sellers with existing AI edited listings.