Bylines and disclosure: who signs a page, and when to say AI helped

Google's "Who, How, and Why" questions, the rules for online shops and reviews, what the EU AI Act says about AI text, and plain wording a business can put on its pages.

Put the name of a real person on any page where a reader might ask "Who wrote this?", and add a short note on how the page was made where a reader might ask "How was this created?" Google says AI disclosures are useful when a reader would reasonably expect them, and that listing AI as the author "is probably not the best way" to show AI's role. Never invent authors, photos or reviews. Online shops and some EU publishers have specific labelling rules.

Google's three questions: Who, How and Why

Google's help page on helpful, people-first content asks site owners to look at every page through three questions: who created it, how it was created and why. The page was last updated on 5 October 2026, and the three questions are the most practical guidance Google gives on authorship and AI.

The "Who" question asks whether it is "self-evident to your visitors who authored your content", whether pages "carry a byline, where one might be expected", and whether bylines "lead to further information about the author". Google adds: "We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it."

The "How" question is about the process. Google gives product reviews as an example: readers trust a review more when they know how many products were tested and how. The same applies to AI. If automation is used "to substantially generate content", Google suggests three questions: is its use "self-evident to visitors through disclosures or in other ways?", are you providing background about how it was used, and are you explaining why it was useful?

The "Why" question is, in Google's words, "perhaps the most important question". The answer should be that the content exists "primarily to help people". If AI is used "for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings", Google says that is spam.

Who should sign a page

A byline tells the reader which person stands behind the page. For a small business, the best name is usually the person who knows the subject and approved the page: the owner, the lead technician, the clinician, the accountant. If one person writes and another qualified person checks, both can be named: "Written by Ana Ruiz, reviewed by Dr. Tom Lee, physiotherapist." (These two names are an example.)

The byline should lead somewhere. A short author page with the person's role, experience and qualifications, and a real photo, answers Google's question about "further information about the author". It also answers the customer who wonders whether the person giving advice has done the work.

What about pages where AI wrote most of the first draft? Google's answer, from its February 2023 questions and answers, is clear: "Giving AI an author byline is probably not the best way to follow our recommendation to make clear to readers when AI is part of the content creation process." The byline goes to the person responsible. The role of AI, where readers would want to know, goes in a disclosure.

Never invent an author

Some sites create authors who do not exist, with a photo made by AI and an impressive list of credentials. Google addresses this directly: "Fabricating creator profiles (such as by using AI-generated headshots, made-up names, or false credentials to make content appear as if it was written by human experts) is a form of deception." It continues: "Any form of deception makes a page untrustworthy to both users and our automated quality systems, and is a signal of a low-quality page."

The safest rule is the honest one. Every name on the site belongs to a real person who agreed to be named, every photo shows that person, and every qualification can be confirmed with the body that granted it.

When to tell readers AI helped

Google does not ask for an AI label on every page. Its 2023 guidance says: "AI or automation disclosures are useful for content where someone might think 'How was this created?'. Consider adding these when it would be reasonably expected." Its help page on generative AI adds that sharing how content was created "can help give your readers more context", especially when content is generated automatically.

In practice, a business can use a simple test. If AI produced most of a page and a reader would feel misled on learning that, add a note. If a person wrote the page and used AI to fix the grammar, as they might use a spell checker, a note adds nothing for the reader. Between those two, consider what a customer would want to know.

A good disclosure is short, specific and placed where the reader sees it, usually at the end of the article next to the author's name. Three examples of wording a business could adapt:

• "This article was drafted with the help of an AI writing tool. Every figure was checked by our team against the sources listed below, and the advice comes from our own projects."
• "Our product descriptions are written with AI from our own specifications, and checked by our staff before they go live."
• "This summary was produced automatically from the city's published permit data, and is updated each week."

Rules for online shops and AI images

Online shops have a specific rule from Google. Its generative AI help page says that Google Merchant Center, the service that sends product data to Google Shopping, has policies for AI-generated content. "AI-generated images must contain metadata using the IPTC DigitalSourceType TrainedAlgorithmicMedia metadata", which is a label stored inside the image file, and "AI-generated product data such as title and description attributes must be specified separately and labeled as AI-generated."

Outside shopping, Google's help page suggests "adding image metadata" as one way to give readers context when content is generated automatically. For any business, the honest practice is the same: an image made with AI should never pass as a photo of real work, a real place or a real person.

Reviews and testimonials

Reviews deserve their own warning, because the rules here are legal ones. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission published a rule on consumer reviews and testimonials on 22 August 2024 (16 CFR Part 465). It makes it an unfair or deceptive practice for a business "to write, create, or sell a consumer review" that misrepresents "that the reviewer or testimonialist exists", or that they "used or otherwise had experience with the product, service, or business".

The rule does not mention AI by name. Its words cover a review a chatbot invented for a customer who does not exist, in the same way they cover one a person invented. Businesses outside the United States face their own consumer laws. The safe rule everywhere is simple: publish only reviews from real customers, in their own words, with their permission.

The EU AI Act and AI-written text

Businesses that publish in the European Union should know Article 50 of the EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Its paragraph 4 says that those who use an AI system to generate or manipulate text "published with the purpose of informing the public on matters of public interest shall disclose that the text has been artificially generated or manipulated."

The same paragraph contains an exception that matters for careful publishers. The duty does not apply "where the AI-generated content has undergone a process of human review or editorial control and where a natural or legal person holds editorial responsibility for the publication of the content." The same article also requires disclosure for deep fakes, meaning AI images, audio or video that resemble real people, places or events and would falsely appear authentic.

How these rules apply to a specific business, and from which date, is a question for a lawyer who knows EU law. What the text shows is the direction: human review and a responsible publisher are exactly what this guide recommends for every page.

Where to put the byline and the note

Place the byline at the top of the article, under the headline, where readers look first. Give the date the page was published and, if it changed, the date it was last updated with a real change. Place the disclosure note at the end of the article, next to the author's short biography and the list of sources, so that a reader who wants to know how the page was made finds all the answers in one place.

Keep the wording the same across the site. A reader who sees the same short note on every article that used AI learns quickly what it means, and a reader who sees no note on a page written entirely by a person can trust that as well.

A checklist for every page

Part of a larger guide

This page is one part of Avoiding AI slop. The other parts:

• What AI slop is
• What Google says
• Signs of AI writing
• The editing process
• First-hand experience
• Checking facts
• Publishing at scale

Questions people ask

Should I disclose that I used AI to write content?

Google's guidance says AI disclosures "are useful for content where someone might think 'How was this created?'" and suggests adding them "when it would be reasonably expected." If AI produced most of a page and readers would feel misled to learn it, add a short note. If you only used AI to correct grammar, a note adds little for the reader.

Can I list AI as the author of an article?

Google's February 2023 guidance says giving AI an author byline "is probably not the best way" to make clear to readers when AI was part of the process. The byline should name the real person responsible for the page, and the role of AI, where readers would want to know it, belongs in a short disclosure note on the same page.

Do I need author bylines on my business website?

Google says it strongly encourages "adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it." Articles, guides and advice pages are where readers expect them most. A contact page needs none. Each byline should lead to a short author page with the person's role, experience and real photo.

Is it acceptable to create an author persona with an AI photo?

No. Google's help page says that "fabricating creator profiles (such as by using AI-generated headshots, made-up names, or false credentials...)" is "a form of deception", and that any deception makes a page untrustworthy to users and to Google's automated quality systems. Every name and photo on your site should belong to a real person who agreed to appear.

What does a good AI disclosure say?

It says how AI was used and how the result was checked, in one or two plain sentences placed near the author's name. For example: "This article was drafted with an AI writing tool. Our team checked every figure against the sources listed below." Avoid vague wording such as "AI-enhanced", which tells the reader nothing about who checked what.

Do online shops have to label AI product descriptions?

For product data sent to Google Shopping, yes. Google's generative AI help page says Merchant Center requires AI-generated product titles and descriptions to be "specified separately and labeled as AI-generated", and AI-generated images to carry the IPTC label TrainedAlgorithmicMedia inside the image file. Check Merchant Center's own policy pages for the current details before you upload.

Can I use AI to write reviews or testimonials?

Not reviews presented as coming from customers. The US Federal Trade Commission rule of 22 August 2024 makes it unfair or deceptive for a business to write or create a review that misrepresents that the reviewer exists or used the product. Its wording covers invented reviews whoever or whatever writes them. Publish only real reviews from real customers, with their permission.

Does the EU AI Act require labels on AI-written articles?

Article 50(4) requires disclosure when AI-generated text is "published with the purpose of informing the public on matters of public interest", unless the text has undergone human review or editorial control and a person or company holds editorial responsibility for it. How it applies to your business, and from when, is a question for a lawyer who knows EU law.

What are Google's Who, How and Why questions?

They are three questions from Google's help page on people-first content. Who: is it clear who wrote the page, with a byline where expected? How: is it clear how the page was made, including any use of AI? Why: was the page created primarily to help people? Google calls "Why" "perhaps the most important question to answer about your content."

Should the person who checked a page be named as well as the writer?

On health, money, legal and safety topics, yes. Google's help page asks whether content is "written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well." Naming the reviewer and their qualification ("reviewed by a registered physiotherapist") shows the reader who confirmed the facts, and lets them check the qualification with the body that granted it.

Sources

1. Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, Google Search Central. Last updated 2026-10-05, accessed 4 November 2026.
2. Google Search's guidance about AI-generated content, Google Search Central Blog. Published 8 February 2023, accessed 4 November 2026.
3. Google Search's guidance on using generative AI content on your website, Google Search Central. Last updated 2026-10-01, accessed 4 November 2026.
4. 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, via eCFR. Published 22 August 2024 (89 FR 68077), eCFR current to 2 November 2026, accessed 4 November 2026.
5. Article 50, Transparency Obligations for Providers and Deployers of Certain AI Systems, EU AI Act, AI Act Explorer, Future of Life Institute. Accessed 4 November 2026.

Keep reading

• How to avoid AI slop: the full guide
• What first-hand experience adds that AI cannot
• What Google says about content written with AI
• Checking every fact in an AI draft
• Run the free Get Found Check

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