Content ModerationVerified
Reviewed and published by trentmaziarz, April 22, 2026. Discovered and drafted by our automated research pipeline.
iStock uses a policy — enforced through contributor guidelines and file inspection — to exclude externally AI-generated images from its licensable stock library, while permitting contributors to use AI tools for minor retouching only. The contributor guidelines explicitly bar files created with generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Midjourney, or Adobe Firefly.
Details
iStock's contributor requirements (updated May 2025) state that files created or substantially modified using generative AI models are not accepted for the stock library. Contributors may use AI tools only for minor retouching covering no more than 10% of an image's pixels, and may not add new elements using generative AI. The platform also does not accept photo-realistic AI-generated depictions of people. File submissions go through an inspection process described in contributor documentation; the specific role of AI in that inspection process is not confirmed in available sources — the inspection timeline suggests human review (3–15 business days).
Products affected
iStock contributor libraryiStock file inspection
Sources & Evidence
Cite this record
Trace Foundation. (2026). iStock : iStock uses a policy — enforced through contributor guidelines and file inspection — to exclude externally AI-generated images from its licensable stock library, while permitting contributors to use AI tools for minor retouching only. The contributor guidelines explicitly bar files created with generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Midjourney, or Adobe Firefly (data as of 2026-04-22) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/c0106aa1-c97b-40af-8842-c0572ef2879b. Accessed September 11, 2026.
- Stable link
- https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/c0106aa1-c97b-40af-8842-c0572ef2879b
- Data as of
- April 22, 2026
- Last verified
- April 22, 2026
Other practices by iStock
ModerationiStock uses an automated prompt-blocking system within its Generative AI tool to prevent users from generating images of recognizable people, trademarked logos, copyrighted characters, or other legally risky content. The system also enforces a policy against generating photo-realistic depictions of people who are not real.RecommendationiStock offers a reverse image and video search feature that uses AI image recognition to let users upload a reference photo or video clip and find visually similar stock content from iStock's library, without needing to type keywords.RecommendationiStock deployed Enhanced Search, an AI-powered search feature, in March 2024, allowing customers to find stock images, videos, and illustrations using natural, conversational language rather than exact keyword matches. Enhanced Search is turned on by default for all creative searches on istockphoto.com.
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