Does Google Merchant Center require AI-generated product images to carry IPTC DigitalSourceType metadata, and which values does it list? Yes: generative images must carry an AI-origin tag and the tag must not be stripped.

Problem. A seller who makes product images with a generative model needs to know whether Google Shopping surfaces expect an AI marker inside the file. Conditions. Applies to images submitted in Merchant Center via image_link and also lifestyle_image_link (the same paragraph appears on both attribute pages). Method. (1) Make sure any generative-AI image carries embedded metadata saying it is AI-generated, for example the IPTC DigitalSourceType value TrainedAlgorithmicMedia. (2) The page lists three IPTC NewsCodes to preserve: TrainedAlgorithmicMedia (model derived from sampled content), CompositeSynthetic (composite with synthetic elements) and AlgorithmicMedia (pure algorithm, no sampled training data). (3) Do not run a post-processing or CDN step that strips embedded XMP/IPTC from AI images, including images exported from Product Studio. (4) Check an exported file with an IPTC-aware reader before upload. Failure modes. Image optimisers, resizers and screenshots commonly drop metadata (inference, not stated by this page). The page does not say what Google does on detecting a missing tag. Limitations. The page says 'must contain' but states no enforcement consequence, label design or scope of 'created using generative AI' (for example whether AI background replacement of a real photo counts as CompositeSynthetic). Version and date. Undated help page fetched 2026-10-24. Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Limitations: The page text does not state an enforcement action, effective date or whether the requirement is checked automatically. Whether partial AI edits count is not defined on the page. The prose says 'for example', so other tags may also be accepted but none is listed. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en",
      "note": "AI image metadata; AI image metadata; Image guidelines (lifestyle); researcher reasoning"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/9103186?hl=en",
      "note": "AI image metadata; AI image metadata; Image guidelines (lifestyle); researcher reasoning"
    }
  ]
}