Amazon has required AI disclosure on KDP since September 2023, and in 2026 it is still the rule new publishers are most nervous about, usually for no good reason. The policy is short. The checkbox is invisible to buyers. Disclosed AI books are fully publishable. Here is the entire thing in plain language, including the edge cases the forum threads argue about, so you can tick the right box and get back to making something worth uploading.
The one distinction that decides everything
KDP's policy splits all AI involvement into two categories, and every question about the rules comes down to which side of the line you are on.
| AI-generated | AI-assisted | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | AI produced the initial text, image or translation | You produced the work; AI helped you refine it |
| Editing afterwards | Still AI-generated, however heavily you edit | Still AI-assisted |
| Examples | AI wrote the chapter draft; AI drew the cover art | Brainstorming, grammar checking, polishing sentences you wrote |
| Must disclose at upload? | Yes | No |
The test is who made the first version of the content that appears in the book. AI wrote the draft and you edited it: AI-generated, disclose it. You wrote the draft and AI tightened it: AI-assisted, no disclosure required. The same test applies separately to text, images and translations, which is why a fully human-written book with an AI cover still needs the disclosure.
The edge cases people argue about
| Situation | Disclose? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AI outlined the book, you wrote every chapter yourself | No | The outline is not published content; the words in the book are yours |
| AI wrote the draft, you rewrote 40 percent of it | Yes | AI made the initial draft, and editing does not change the category |
| You wrote the text, AI generated the cover | Yes | Images count, and the cover is part of the book |
| AI translated your human-written book | Yes | Translations are named in the policy explicitly |
| AI research and brainstorming, all writing yours | No | Assistance that never becomes book content is not disclosed |
| AI-generated interior illustrations in a human-written book | Yes | Each content type is judged on its own origin |
What the checkbox actually does
- It appears in the KDP upload flow, as a short set of questions about your content.
- It is a statement to Amazon, not a label on your book.
- Nothing appears on the product page. Readers never see it, and cannot search by it.
- Disclosed books publish normally and are not down-ranked for the disclosure itself.
- Amazon uses it for policy enforcement and catalog quality work on their side.
What happens if you skip it
Undisclosed AI-generated content is a policy violation, and Amazon enforces it: books get removed from sale, and repeat cases escalate to the account level, which on KDP means everything you publish. Weigh that against what the disclosure costs you: nothing visible, nothing measurable. Skipping it is all risk for zero benefit. Tick the box.
A note on copyright, since it always comes up
Separate from Amazon's rules: under current US Copyright Office guidance, purely AI-generated material is not eligible for copyright protection on its own, while human contributions such as selection, arrangement and substantial editing can be protected. In practice this means the more of your own judgement and words a book carries, the stronger your position. It is one more reason the edit-for-voice pass in our AI ebook guide is not optional polish. This is general information rather than legal advice, and the details are jurisdiction-specific.
Our position, since you are reading a tool's blog
Bookbind makes AI-generated books, so a book made here gets the disclosure ticked at upload. We think the rule is fair: it asks for honesty with the platform, costs the author nothing, and buyers never see it. If a tool markets itself around avoiding the disclosure, that tells you something about the rest of its advice.
Publishing next steps live in our other guides: publishing on KDP step by step, coloring book interiors that pass review, and where to sell beyond Amazon.
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