Merchant Center: AI product images must keep AI metadata

Google's Merchant Center image_link page says all images created using generative AI must contain metadata indicating that the image was AI-generated, and tells you not to strip it, naming the IPTC DigitalSourceType value. So the practical rule is: after any resize, crop or re-export, check that the metadata survived. Sume's docs do not describe embedding such metadata, so verify your own files rather than assuming.

The rule is on Google's image_link help page, read on 2026-10-02.

What else does image_link require?

The same page sets the basic image rules.

Where does metadata get lost?

Image editors, resize scripts and some CDNs rewrite files and drop embedded fields without warning. The step that matters is the last one before upload, so check the file you are actually going to submit, not the one the model returned.

How do I check a file?

The free exiftool utility can print the IPTC field. This script runs it and refuses to continue if the value is missing. Install exiftool first, and adjust the field name if Google's page names a different one for your case.

import subprocess, sys

path = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "product.jpg"
out = subprocess.run(
    ["exiftool", "-s3", "-DigitalSourceType", path],
    capture_output=True, text=True, check=True,
).stdout.strip()
if not out:
    sys.exit(f"{path}: no DigitalSourceType metadata; do not upload")
print(f"{path}: DigitalSourceType = {out}")

What do I do with a file that fails?

Regenerate or re-export it with a tool that preserves the field, or add the metadata with exiftool following Google's page. Do not guess at the value. For images from the Sume Image API, run the same check on the downloaded file before it goes into a feed, since the docs do not promise embedded metadata.