Looklet’s Guide to AI Laws and Imagery: What You Need to Know
Published byEmma Campbell/June 2, 2026
TL;DR
Three laws, three deadlines, starting June 9.
We have the technical side sorted. Every AI-generated image from Looklet will carry C2PA watermarking and metadata transparency as standard.
Does This Apply to You?
If you sell to EU consumers, the EU AI Act applies. Full stop. It does not matter where you are headquartered. If your images are visible to EU shoppers, you are in scope.
Selling in California or the US more broadly? California’s law is relevant. Advertising in New York? That one lands in less than two weeks.
The Three Laws
New York: Synthetic Performer Disclosure Law
In force June 9, 2026, and the most immediate deadline. This law is scoped to advertising, not product listings. It applies wherever an AI-generated model appears in a paid or promotional context visible to New York consumers: campaigns, social ads, paid placements, promotional banners, lookbooks used in paid media. A product image sitting on a product page does not automatically trigger it, but the moment that same image moves into a paid ad or promotional email, it does. The safer approach is to treat any image used in a commercial or promotional context as in scope. Penalties are $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for each one after that.
California: AI Transparency Act
In force August 2, 2026. Requires AI-generated content to carry clear disclosure, either through visible labeling or embedded metadata. The law primarily targets AI tool providers, which includes Looklet. We are required to embed metadata and watermarking into every AI-generated image we produce. Your responsibility is straightforward: do not strip or remove that metadata when exporting or publishing. Our C2PA watermarking is built into every image by default, so as long as you are publishing images as delivered from Looklet, your side of the California requirement is covered.
EU: AI Act Article 50
Two dates matter here. Core transparency and disclosure obligations land August 2, 2026. Watermarking specifically follows on December 2, 2026, following the EU Omnibus agreement in May 2026. The European Commission’s final Code of Practice, which pins down the exact technical standards, is expected before August. Standard retouching, color correction, and background work are all explicitly exempt. Those are editing tools, not generative AI, and the law treats them that way.
What We Are Doing
We are supporting clients by offering two ways to be compliant:
Metadata transparency. Every AI-generated image is delivered with a file containing the image metadata, including whether an AI-generated model was used. That data is the foundation for adding accurate disclosures wherever you need them, on product pages, in campaigns, across markets. You can find the full technical documentation at documentation.looklet.com/image-metadata/.
C2PA watermarking. Every AI-generated image will carry an embedded C2PA watermark. It is a verified, machine-readable signal that stays with the image wherever it goes. It is the technical proof of origin that the EU and California frameworks are built around, and it is included by default.
Reach out to your Looklet contact if you want to talk through what this means for your specific setup.
Important Notice
The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Every e-commerce business operates in a different context, and the laws described here are evolving. We strongly encourage all clients to conduct their own due diligence, consult with their legal teams, and verify that they are meeting all applicable compliance requirements for their specific markets and use cases.
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