An Analysis of Misclassification of “Products Not as Advertised” in AIGC Short-Video E-commerce Covers and Consumer Rights Violations

Abstract

AIGC is gradually being applied to the production of product cover images for short-video e-commerce, with the ‘AI-generated + human-optimised’ model becoming the mainstream approach. Whilst this technology lowers the cost barrier to content production, it also facilitates merchants’ manipulation of product appearances, giving rise to technical and covert instances of ‘products not matching descriptions’. Compared to traditional image distortions, misleading AIGC product covers are characterised by low cost, high realism, ease of mass production, difficulty in detection, and complex liability structures. These factors influence consumer perception and purchasing behaviour, constituting a complex issue where information accuracy, consumer rights and platform governance intersect. This paper takes such ‘product mismatch’ phenomena in cover images as its research subject. By comprehensively employing multiple research methods, it classifies types of cover image distortion, analyses the pathways through which consumer rights are infringed, establishes a logical chain linking ‘AIGC technical characteristics–visual distortion in cover images–consumer cognitive bias–purchasing decisions–infringement of rights’, and constructs a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance mechanism. The study aims to clarify the boundary between normal aesthetic enhancement and malicious falsification, thereby providing theoretical and practical guidance for the regulation of AIGC commercial visual content, the protection of consumer rights, and the governance of short-video e-commerce.