According to a secondary source, Etsy's Creativity Standards of July 2024 require sellers to disclose in the listing description when an item was created with AI, for example an AI motif on a poster.
Whether a product photo needs a visible AI label under Article 50 of the AI Act is a separate matter.
What Etsy requires
According to a secondary source (TechCrunch, 9 July 2024), Etsy's Creativity Standards of July 2024 provide:
- Items that sellers design with AI tools from their own prompts are allowed.
- Sellers must disclose the use of AI in the listing description.
- Etsy classifies items by the level of human involvement and shows it in the item details.
How this relates to your Article 50 duty
Deep fakes that you generate or manipulate with AI in your business, or have a contractor create to your instructions, must be disclosed (Article 50(4) AI Act, guidelines paras. 12 and 14). This applies in your own store and on every platform.
Etsy's rule concerns the item, Article 50(4) of the AI Act the image. A product photo generated or modified with AI that can appear real may need a label even if the item is handmade. A sentence in the description is not at the image. Under the Code of Practice, the “AI” should be visible on the content itself and without interaction.
The Commission does not list Etsy as a very large online platform (as of 7 September 2026). The relief in para. 126 of the guidelines does not apply here; your own disclosure is what counts.
Steps
- If the item was made with AI, disclose it in the listing description.
- Check every AI product photo with the labelling check.
- If a photo needs a label, upload a copy with the label burned in, made with Label an AI image.
- Do not remove existing AI metadata.
Not legal advice. The current wording of the platform rules is what counts. A label does not make a misleading image lawful.
Frequently asked questions
Is the note in the Etsy description enough?
For Etsy's rule, yes, as far as the wording of the Creativity Standards provides. For Article 50 of the AI Act it is not reliable enough, because it is not noticeable at the first view of the photo.
My item is handmade, only the photo is AI. Do I need a label?
Etsy's disclosure only concerns the item. Check the photo separately under Article 50.
Does Etsy label AI images automatically?
We have no documented information on that.
Sources
Para. refers to the paragraph number in the European Commission's guidelines on Article 50, C(2026) 5054.
- Etsy: Creativity StandardsEtsy · Platform · 11 Oct 2026
- TechCrunch: Etsy's new seller policy on generative AI (secondary source)TechCrunch · Association · 9 Jul 2024
- European Commission: list of designated very large online platforms and search enginesEuropäische Kommission · Commission · 7 Sept 2026
- Commission Guidelines on the transparency obligations under Article 50 AI Act, C(2026) 5054 finalEuropäische Kommission · Commission · 20 Jul 2026
- Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content (final version)Europäische Kommission · Code of practice · 10 Jun 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act)EUR-Lex · Law · 12 Jul 2024
