Amazon KDP AI Disclosure Checklist (2026) — What to Declare

Last updated: May 2026 · 9 min read

If you used AI anywhere in your publishing workflow, you’re probably asking the same thing every author is asking right now: What exactly do I need to disclose on Amazon KDP?

This checklist is a practical, author-friendly way to review your manuscript before you hit “Publish” so you can disclose confidently and avoid preventable delays.

Want a faster drafting + revision workflow? Use ShakespeareAI to outline, draft, and revise your manuscript, then export clean files for editing and KDP prep: Try the book writer.

New to AI-assisted books? Start here: How to write a book with AI.

Quick definitions (so you don’t overthink it)

• AI-assisted: AI helps you generate ideas, outlines, rewrites, suggestions, or partial text that you substantially edit.
• AI-generated: AI produces final text or images that you publish with minimal human editing.

When in doubt, document what you did and disclose consistently. The goal is clarity and traceability.

Amazon KDP AI disclosure checklist

1) Manuscript text

• Did AI generate full chapters or large sections that made it into the final book with only light edits?
• Did you paste AI output directly into the manuscript (even if you later polished it)?
• Did you use AI to translate your manuscript?

Action: If “yes” to any of the above, be prepared to disclose AI use for text.

2) Images (cover and interior)

• Did you use an AI image generator for the cover art?
• Did you use AI to generate interior illustrations (children’s books, coloring books, etc.)?
• Did you use AI to heavily modify an image into a new work?

Action: If “yes”, disclose AI use for images and ensure you have rights to publish the assets.

3) Editing and rewriting

• Did you use AI for grammar, line edits, or style rewrites?
• Did you use AI to “humanize” or paraphrase AI-written text?
• Did AI significantly change voice, tone, or structure?

Action: If AI rewrites materially shaped the final phrasing/structure, treat it as AI involvement in the text.

4) Metadata and marketing

• Did AI generate your title/subtitle, description, keywords, or ad copy?
• Did AI create your author bio or back-cover copy?

Action: Keep a record. Metadata is less risky than full manuscript text, but consistency matters.

A simple “safe” workflow before publishing

1. Write down your AI usage (bullets are fine): what tools, what outputs, where they ended up.
2. Confirm originality: run a sanity-check for accidental plagiarism and remove recognizable fragments.
3. Do a human pass: fix continuity, character voice, and factual claims (AI can hallucinate).
4. Check KDP quality: formatting, table of contents, image rights, and any required disclosures.
5. Export clean files: keep source drafts and the final exported manuscript you upload.

Common mistakes that cause delays

• Publishing AI-generated images without clear usage rights or release terms.
• Uploading low-effort/duplicative content at scale (even if “unique” by AI wording).
• Leaving placeholder text, weird artifacts, or inconsistent names from AI drafts.
• Over-optimizing keywords in a way that reads spammy or misleading.

FAQ

Do I need to disclose AI if I only used it for brainstorming?
If AI didn’t generate publishable text/images and you only used it for ideas, you’re generally in a safer zone. Still, keep notes.

Do I need to disclose AI if I used AI for editing?
If AI materially rewrote sentences/paragraphs that remain in the final manuscript, treat it as AI involvement in text creation.

What’s the best way to avoid problems?
Use AI as a drafting partner, then do a thorough human revision pass. Tools like ShakespeareAI help you keep a clean workflow from outline → draft → revision → export.