Pinterest uses IPTC metadata to signal AI-generated images

Screenshot of Pinterest's help pages showing how IPTC metadata is used to signal AI-generated content.

As reported in Social Media Today, Pinterest has started using IPTC embedded Photo Metadata to signal when content in "Image Pins" has been generated by AI.

In the Pinterest documentation, a new section has recently been added that describes how it works:

"Pinterest may display a label in the foreground of an image Pin when we detect that it has been generated or modified with AI. This is in accordance with IPTC standard for photo metadata. We're working on ways to expand our capabilities to better identify GenAI content in the future through additional technologies."

Here is a sample image posted by a Reddit user showing what the tag looks like in action. The referenced image contains a Digital Source Type of "trainedAlgorithicMedia" using the IPTC NewsCodes URIs, as we recommend in the IPTC Photo Metadata User Guide section on Applying Metadata to AI-generated images.