Labeling AI Images Correctly: Schema.org and IPTC Metadata Explained

AI-generated images have become indispensable in modern web design. Whether hero images, product photos, or illustrations – tools like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion deliver impressive results. But the EU AI Act requires: These images must be labeled as AI-generated both visually and in machine-readable format.

What Does the EU AI Act Require for Images?

Article 50(2) obliges providers of AI systems that generate synthetic content (images, audio, video) to label this content as artificially generated. This includes:

• Watermarks or visual labels on the image
• Machine-readable metadata in the page's HTML code
• Traceability through audit logs

Schema.org JSON-LD: The Standard for Search Engines

Schema.org is a vocabulary for structured data developed by Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. For AI images, you use the ImageObject type with the isBasedOn attribute:

Example for an AI-generated image:

The JSON-LD snippet is placed in your HTML page's and contains information about the AI origin, creation time, and technology used.

IPTC digitalSourceType: The Media Standard

The IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) created digitalSourceType as a specific standard for labeling the digital source:

• trainedAlgorithmicMedia – Fully AI-generated (e.g., Midjourney image)
• compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia – Mix of human and AI
• algorithmicMedia – Algorithmic but not AI-based

Practical Implementation with AIActify

Manually inserting Schema.org and IPTC metadata is time-consuming and error-prone. AIActify automates this process completely:

1. Mark the image: Click the AI image on your website using the Visual Editor
2. Choose the label: Select "AI-generated" or "AI-assisted"
3. Done: AIActify automatically injects the visual label, Schema.org JSON-LD, and IPTC-compliant metadata

Your images are then correctly identified as AI-generated for both human users and crawlers like Google.

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