If I’m back at my desk, something weird has happened. A lot of you went to upload a video or a picture in the Amazon Influencer Program over the last couple of days and saw a brand new prompt: “Hey, if you’re using AI, you need to tell us.” Cue the panic, confusion, frustration, and maybe a little sadness. So let’s talk about what this AI disclosure checkbox actually means, why Amazon added it, and what — if anything — you should be doing differently.
In This Article
- Why Amazon Added the AI Disclosure Checkbox
- This Is Not a Green Light for AI Slop
- Why AI Shoppable Videos Struggle to Convert
- The Carousel Always Rewards Conversion
- Where AI Actually Gets Interesting: Pictures and Collages
- Follow Where Amazon Is Pointing
- Creator vs. Business Person
- What I’m Doing Differently: Nothing
Why Amazon Added the AI Disclosure Checkbox
Here’s the part that should talk you off the ledge: people were already doing this. The reason Amazon implemented the disclosure is that creators were already uploading AI-generated content, and somebody at Amazon finally said the quiet part out loud — if a buyer purchases something under the pretense that the content is “real” and it turns out to be AI, that’s a liability problem for any company, Amazon included.
So the checkbox isn’t Amazon opening a door that was previously closed. The door was already open and people were already walking through it. This formalizes disclosure; it doesn’t usher in some brand new era. Whatever experience you’ve had in this program, it is not about to take a massive dump just because a checkbox showed up.
This Is Not a Green Light for AI Slop
Let me be very clear: Amazon is not saying “green light, go with all AI.” We’ve already seen Amazon take a stance on AI storefronts. If you report a storefront and they look at it and it’s just AI slop, they’ll shut it down. Checking the disclosure box does not make you bulletproof. They’re still going to have issues with low-effort AI content, and I’d expect documentation to come out before too long laying out exactly what their expectations are for AI use in the program.
Why AI Shoppable Videos Struggle to Convert
I’ve been watching some of the AI videos people are producing lately, and I’ll give them this — they look great. Some look phenomenal. But there’s a piece missing, and it’s the same complaint people have about AI music: shiny on the surface, no soul underneath.
Think about why a buyer clicks on your shoppable video in the first place. They already looked at the product page and something was missing. They need answers. They need authority, expertise, an opinion — they need you to read between the lines and fill the gap the listing left. That’s exactly what AI can’t do. What AI videos are good at is taking the product visuals, dropping them into different scenarios, and reformatting the product information the buyer has already seen. “This shirt is really comfortable” — yeah, the listing already said that, and it wasn’t enough, which is why they’re watching videos at all.
The Carousel Always Rewards Conversion
Will AI videos take up some slots in the carousel? Sure. AI is easier to produce at scale — you don’t even need the product in hand to make a video that looks like the product is in the video. But if we know anything about Amazon, it’s that the carousel is always rotating because Amazon is constantly hunting for videos that convert better than the ones already there. If AI videos go in and don’t fulfill the reason somebody watches those videos in the first place, they get moved out and replaced. Volume gets you in the door; conversion keeps you in the room.
And here’s where I think Amazon draws the line: an AI video that just regurgitates the listing is fine — no lies there. But an AI video pretending to be a human with hands-on authority? That’s where Amazon is going to have a problem, and honestly, buyers are pretty good at sensing when something feels off.
Where AI Actually Gets Interesting: Pictures and Collages
Now here’s where I actually am intrigued — shoppable pictures and collages. These don’t require the product in hand, don’t require an opinion, and don’t require insight. Amazon still distributes them somewhere on the internet. So it would be interesting to see, at scale, whether somebody who gets good at creating quality shoppable pictures and collages starts getting real traction because of this change. I don’t typically have a lot of time to invest in pictures and collages, but this is the one area I’m personally going to start exploring.
Follow Where Amazon Is Pointing
I’ve said this about every change over the last couple of months: if you want to stick around this program and be successful, keep paying attention to where Amazon is pointing and go that direction. There’s going to be a lot of pushback from creators on this one, and that’s fine. But your pushback is essentially meaningless if this is the way the world is going — and I think we’d all be hard-pressed to say it isn’t.
If you choose not to participate because of a moral stance on AI, I love that for you, sincerely. I don’t have an argument against it. But if you’re railing against this thinking your refusal will slow it down — it won’t.
Creator vs. Business Person
At the end of the day, all Amazon truly cares about is conversions — and that’s the way it should be. They pursue whatever makes Amazon the most money. If we convert, they pursue us. If AI content converts — and with enough volume, some of it probably will — then there’s opportunity in there for us too. As creators we might look at AI videos and call them lesser. But we’re running businesses on top of being creators, and sometimes we have to walk that balance. I’m not opposed to AI, especially because AI is a skill set anybody can learn. If it fits your moral box and you’re making money and Amazon’s making money, everybody wins.
What I’m Doing Differently: Nothing
So what am I changing? Really nothing. I’m looking into the picture and collage thing, but I’m still pumping out real videos left and right, and I expect to be doing exactly that six months from now and a year from now. People are the heart of the Amazon Influencer Program — that’s why they call it the influencer program. Don’t panic. If this becomes a real competitive force, we might pivot a little. But there is nothing you need to be doing right now. Keep your nose to the grindstone and ride the horse that got you here.
And while the AI dust settles, the fundamentals haven’t changed: find the right products, make content buyers actually need, and track what’s working. That’s exactly what Oink for Influencers was built for — from Storefront Cross Check to Creator Connections research, it keeps you focused on the stuff that actually moves the needle. Grab it at oinkforinfluencers.com and keep doing what got you here.
