Now every platform must decide what counts as handmade.

Etsy

Platforms tend to shrug off AI clutter until it threatens what they sell. For Etsy, that thing is trust in the maker.

To protect that, Etsy has banned AI -generated how-to guides and listings made entirely by bots. Most sellers must show at least one unretouched photo of the item (via Etsy Seller Handbook ).

Etsy

Why is Etsy drawing this line now?

The reason is simple: shoppers can’t tell what they’re buying anymore. Etsy says many active buyers can’t spot AI-generated visual assets in Etsy listings. That confusion is why they shop there less.

Guides must now include a real finished piece made from the instructions, rather than an AI render. There’s a new rule for listings’ pictures as well. One image must show the real item, shot against an authentic backdrop, with no editing whatsoever (including AI).

Other photos can still use AI polish for lighting, cropping, or backgrounds, so long as the product looks like itself.…