On 1 October 2026, Google updated its guidance on using generative AI content, bringing in material from the Search Quality Rater Guidelines. For a shop with thousands of products, this is the page to read before using AI to write descriptions, titles or images.
What Google Says
- Scale without value is the problem. Using AI to generate many pages "without adding value for users may violate" Google's scaled content abuse policy.
- Check everything. Google advises you to "manually factcheck and review all AI-generated content for accuracy and trustworthiness before publishing," because models predict likely words and can produce errors.
- The review includes metadata. Title elements, meta descriptions, structured data and image alt text can all appear in results, so they need the same checks.
- Context helps. Consider explaining how content was created, where it suits your audience.
Merchant Center Requirements
The guidance includes two ecommerce-specific rules. AI-generated images in Merchant Center need the IPTC TrainedAlgorithmicMedia metadata. AI-generated product titles and descriptions must be specified separately and labelled as AI-generated. If you use AI for feed content, check your feed setup handles this before the next upload.
A Workflow We Would Trust
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Start with facts | Feed the model your own specification data: dimensions, materials, compatibility |
| 2. Draft | Generate a first version for each product, not a template with swapped words |
| 3. Human check | Someone who knows the product verifies every claim |
| 4. Add real detail | Fit notes, care advice and use cases from customer questions |
| 5. Prioritise | Do top sellers and highest-margin lines first |
| 6. Label | Mark AI-generated feed fields as Merchant Center requires |
Where It Goes Wrong
The risk is volume: thousands of near-identical descriptions published at once. Imaginaire's review of the March 2026 spam update, which is third-party analysis, lists auto-generated buying guides and duplicated manufacturer descriptions among the exposed practices for shops. The same logic applies to AI text that only rephrases the supplier's copy.
The reliable gain is on products where you have real knowledge to add. Our product page checklist shows what a strong description contains, and Should You Blog on an Ecommerce Site? covers where editorial content is worth the effort.