You only have to show your own label in your store if the image is a deep fake (Article 50(4) AI Act). For standard editing, a purely decorative AI background behind a real product, or images created before 2 August 2026, the European Commission's guidelines do not require one (paras. 92, 116, 154), and a real photo without AI should not carry one.
Never remove AI providers' machine-readable markings (C2PA, IPTC, watermarks). The Code of Practice provides for keeping them, Google Merchant Center requires it, and China and India prohibit removal by law.
When you may leave out your own label
The obligation under Article 50(4) AI Act applies only to deep fakes, meaning AI images that look real and can mislead (Article 3(60)). Under the European Commission's guidelines a label is not required in these cases:
| Case | Under the guidelines | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Background removal, colour correction, cropping, sharpening | not required | paras. 92, 116 |
| Purely decorative AI background behind a real, unchanged product | not required | para. 116 |
| Distracting details removed (passers-by, dust) | not required | paras. 92, 116 |
| Clearly unreal illustration | not required | para. 113 ii |
| Created with AI before 2 August 2026 | no retroactive label | para. 154 |
| Real photo without AI | not an AI image | Article 3(60) |
An AI label on an image without AI can itself mislead. If it is there by mistake, take it down. Where the guidelines require no label, you may still show one voluntarily if AI was involved.
When in doubt, the guidelines recommend the label. The labelling check assesses your case and names the paragraph you can rely on.
If an image shows the product better than it is, it remains open to challenge under competition law, with or without a label (recital 137 AI Act, guidelines para. 129).
When a real photo is flagged as AI
Platforms show notices like “AI info” when they find AI signals in a file, such as Content Credentials (C2PA) or the IPTC note. Editing programs also write such signals when you use generative features such as generative fill.
- Check what is in the file: the AI image checker shows which signal triggers the notice.
- Check whether the notice is accurate: if a generative feature changed the image, the notice is correct even if the photo is essentially real.
- Use the platform's own process: each platform's rules are under platforms.
What you should never do
Markings in the file are how an AI provider complies with Article 50(2) AI Act. Removing them to hide the AI origin contradicts the Code of Practice, can mislead about origin and breaks platform rules.
- Google Merchant Center requires that embedded metadata such as the IPTC DigitalSourceType is not removed from AI images.
- China prohibits removing or falsifying AI labels (labelling measures since 1 September 2025), and so does India (IT rules since 20 February 2026).
- That is why ai-label.app has no tool that removes labels, watermarks or AI metadata. Our labelling tool carries existing metadata over into every new file.
Frequently asked questions
May I remove the AI label from my store again?
Yes, if the image is not a deep fake under the guidelines (paras. 92, 116) or no AI was involved. For deep fakes the label stays as long as the image is shown.
How do I remove the “AI info” label on Instagram?
The notice comes from signals in the file or from your own disclosure. If a generative feature changed the image, it is accurate. We do not recommend stripping metadata to avoid it.
Is there a tool to remove AI watermarks?
Not on ai-label.app. We do not recommend removing AI providers' markings.
What if my supplier delivered images with an AI label?
The guidelines recommend keeping existing labels and informing customers, even if you are not the deployer yourself (paras. 16, 17).
Sources
Para. refers to the paragraph number in the European Commission's guidelines on Article 50, C(2026) 5054.
- Commission Guidelines on the transparency obligations under Article 50 AI Act, C(2026) 5054 finalEuropäische Kommission · Commission · 20 Jul 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act)EUR-Lex · Law · 12 Jul 2024
- Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content (final version)Europäische Kommission · Code of practice · 10 Jun 2026
- Meta: identifying and labelling AI contentMeta · Platform · 1 May 2026
- Meta: Ansatz zur Kennzeichnung KI-generierter InhalteMeta · Platform · 5 Apr 2024
- Google Merchant Center: AI-generated contentGoogle · Platform · 3 Oct 2026
- China: Measures for labelling AI-generated synthetic contentCyberspace Administration of China · Law · 14 Mar 2025
- India: IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2026Gazette of India · Law · 10 Feb 2026
