Google Confirms No SEO Penalty for AI-Generated Images

Gary Illyes says AI visuals do not hurt rankings.

Creators worried AI images would face penalties like AI-written text.

AI images = normal images. No penalty. 

Google cares about how images are used, not how they’re made.

Unoptimized images slow sites → SEO impact.

Use compression, WebP, and CDNs for faster load.

AI images can rank in Google Image Search → more traffic.

Authenticity counts. Misleading AI visuals hurt trust.

Google’s Rule Always create content for users first.

No SEO penalties. Optimize. Stay authentic. Use AI wisely.