EU AI Act labels in Google Merchant Center and Google Shopping

What Google requires for AI images

According to help page 14743464, every image created with generative AI must carry the IPTC entry DigitalSourceType with the value TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, in the feed attributes image_link, additional_image_link and lifestyle_image_link.

The values CompositeSynthetic (a composite with synthetic elements) and AlgorithmicMedia (created purely by an algorithm) should also be preserved. You must not remove embedded metadata, and Google expressly includes images from its own tools such as Product Studio.

The right value for photos only partly changed with AI, for example with a new background, is not settled. Google Search supports compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia for this; Merchant Center does not mention it. If you want to be sure the feed recognises the entry, you can choose compositeSynthetic. The values are explained in C2PA, IPTC and metadata.

AI text: structured_title and structured_description

For AI-generated product titles and descriptions, you use structured_title and structured_description instead of, or alongside, title and description. Each has two sub-attributes: digital_source_type set to trained_algorithmic_media, and content with the text. This is a Google requirement. Under the Article 50 guidelines, ordinary product descriptions fall outside the text labelling duty, except for claims on topics such as health, consumer safety or sustainability (para. 131).

Overlays and watermarks: an apparent contradiction

Merchant Center's general image specification (help page 6324350) still lists overlays and watermarks as reasons for disapproval, without an express exception for AI labels. The newer help page 17231950 says that your own AI labels in ads and listings do not violate the policies on text overlays and watermarks. So does the Google Ads policy change log of 9 July 2026, under which text or image labels in AI creatives have been allowed since July 2026.

The newer, more specific page governs AI labels; other overlays and watermarks remain a reason for disapproval. Keep the label clearly recognisable as an AI notice: the “AI” mark, optionally with a short text, and no marketing message.

The AI label setting in Merchant Center

Independently of any label in the image, you can mark an asset in Merchant Center as created or edited with AI. In the product details under “Manage images”, select the image, open the three-dot menu in the top right, choose “Manage AI label”, pick the option, apply and save. The same setting exists for Product Studio and video assets. According to Google it has these effects:

• Marked assets get a disclosure in the “How this ad was made” section of My Ad Center.
• For campaigns targeting the EU, India or New York, labelled assets get a visible overlay on the ad.
• When Google detects an AI label, automatic improvements such as overlay removal do not run.
• Google may label assets itself, for example where the law requires it or other platforms send signals. Such labels cannot be overwritten.
• Labelling may affect whether content appears in some experiences.

Google writes that the feature does not ensure compliance with certain regulations and advises seeking legal guidance. Under the guidelines, deployers may rely on the labelling tools of very large online platforms within those platforms (para. 126). How far that carries for Google's setting is unclear. If the image is a deep fake, we therefore recommend Google's setting plus a visible label in the image.

Placement in the image: avoid the corners

According to Google, labels in the very corners and along the edges may be trimmed depending on the ad format, and Google cannot rule this out entirely. For a feed version with a burned-in label, we recommend at least 5 % of the image width from the edge and a mark about 8 % of the shorter image side tall. These are our own values; neither Google nor the Code gives sizes. For design, see label design. The label tool creates an image copy with a label in your browser.

Shopify: does the metadata reach the feed?

Your product feed points to the image file your store delivers, which on Shopify is an address on Shopify's CDN. A Shopify Community thread reported that this CDN stripped XMP metadata. Shopify staff wrote on 27 July and 4 September 2026 that the issue should be fixed. There is no official changelog entry. In our own test on 3 October 2026, one file kept its entry in the original, resized and as WebP. For your own images, open an image address from your feed in the metadata checker.

Two common reasons for missing entries happen before Shopify. Background removal and re-exports write a new file, often without metadata.

Step by step: store and feed

1. Classify. For each AI image, establish whether it is a deep fake, for example with the labelling check, and record the result and citation.
2. Use the original file. Upload the file from the AI tool, not a screenshot or re-export.
3. Add IPTC. If both the entry and a C2PA manifest are missing, add DigitalSourceType with the IPTC tool. Do not write to files with C2PA; the manifest would become invalid.
4. Label in the store. Add the label as an overlay on every surface where the image appears (see AI labels in online stores). The feed then receives the unchanged original.
5. Check the delivered file. Open the image address from your feed in the metadata checker.
6. Set the AI label setting. Mark each AI image under “Manage AI label”.
7. Feed version with label. For deep fakes we also recommend a version with a burned-in label away from the corners. Copy the metadata into the new file.
8. Check the preview. After the next fetch, the label must be fully visible in the Merchant Center preview and the image must not be disapproved.
9. Document. Record which feed images carry which version.