Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of production across a wide range of industries. Its use is particularly visible in digital products and services, but it is also expanding across advertising, professional services, administration, manufacturing and other areas of business.
As its role grows, the question is no longer simply whether the technology is being used, but how much it contributes to the final product or service. That difference is not always visible to the customer, while companies and platforms are already beginning to introduce labels, disclosure systems and other ways of identifying its use.
This article looks at how certification already works in other industries, how similar systems are beginning to develop around AI, and how they could evolve as its role in production expands. It also examines what greater transparency could mean for pricing, market positioning and consumer choice.
AI Is Already Part of Production
AI has moved quickly from being a separate tool to becoming part of the normal production process. This is easiest to see in digital products, where generative systems can now create text, images, music and video with very different levels of human involvement.
Music gives a clear indication of the scale. The music-streaming platform Deezer reported in July 2026 that it was receiving around 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day. At peak periods, they represented more than half of all new music uploaded to the platform. Fully AI-generated tracks still accounted for only around 1–3% of listening.
The change is also visible across advertising and other creative work. AI-generated text, images and video are now routinely used for social media, online advertising and commercial content. Canva's 2026 marketing study found that 97% of marketing leaders surveyed were already using AI in their daily creative work. Adobe reported a similar development among creators, with 75% describing creative AI as integrated or essential to how they work
AI is also being integrated into work that customers rarely see directly. Companies use it for research, administration, software development, customer service and other internal processes. In manufacturing, it can support areas such as quality control, maintenance and supply-chain management. AI involvement is therefore no longer limited to products that are obviously generated by AI; it can also sit behind an otherwise conventional product or service.
This makes the extent of AI involvement increasingly difficult to describe with a simple yes or no. A product or service can involve the technology at very different stages and to very different degrees. A song, for example, may still be written and performed by a musician while automated tools are used only for part of the production. In other cases, much more of the final output may be generated with limited human involvement.
The question is how these differences can be made visible and understandable to consumers. Other industries already use certification and disclosure systems for exactly this purpose.
How Certification Works in Other Industries
Markets already use certification and disclosure systems to make production characteristics visible when consumers cannot easily verify them themselves.
Fairtrade is one example. Producers and companies have to meet defined standards, provide the required documentation and undergo independent checks. Certification is audited by FLOCERT, and any problems identified during an audit have to be addressed before certification can be granted or maintained. Certified organisations also remain subject to later controls.
The consumer does not have to inspect the supply chain personally. The purpose of the certification is to provide an independent check.
Globalisation provides one of the clearest examples of how production and consumer preferences can change. As trade expanded, companies were able to import more products from overseas and move parts of production to countries where costs were lower. This made many goods cheaper and increased the range available to consumers.
At the same time, it increased pressure on some domestic producers and contributed to the decline of local production in certain industries. Part of the consumer response has been a stronger interest in locally and regionally produced goods and in supporting producers closer to home.
In some markets, this also led to more formal ways of verifying regional origin. In Germany, the Regionalfenster is a voluntary regional-labelling programme that shows where the main ingredients come from and where the product was processed. The information is independently checked, giving consumers a clearer basis for identifying products that genuinely come from the stated region.
Halal certification provides a different example of the same principle. While regional labels verify where a product comes from, halal certification verifies how it was produced. A consumer cannot determine simply by looking at the finished product whether the required halal standards were followed, so compliance has to be established through defined requirements, documentation and independent audits. For producers, this means meeting the relevant standards and being certified by a recognised body before the product can be presented as halal.
In some markets, certification also has a regulatory role. Saudi Arabia, for example, requires relevant imported halal products to be certified by bodies recognised by the authorities. Certification therefore goes beyond providing information to the consumer and can also become a condition for entering the market.
These examples show that certification can operate at different levels. It can verify where a product comes from, how it was produced or whether certain requirements have been met, while governments can also determine which standards or certification bodies are recognised and, in some cases, what requirements must be met for a product to enter the market.
From AI Disclosure to Certification
AI is already beginning to enter similar systems of disclosure and verification.
Deezer detects fully AI-generated music and labels it on its platform. Its detection technology is also being made available to other organisations in the music industry.
Spotify has taken a broader approach. In 2026, it introduced AI Credits, which allow artists to disclose how AI was used in the creation of a song, while new AI Persona labels are being introduced for artist identities that are generated rather than represented by a real person.
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, or C2PA, brings together companies including Adobe, Amazon, BBC, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and Sony. Its Content Credentials system can record information about the production history of digital content, including whether AI was involved. This allows different companies and platforms to work with a common framework. Instead of each platform creating its own separate way of recording how content was produced, information can travel with the digital material itself.
Other approaches focus on different parts of AI use. Fairly Trained looks at how training data has been licensed, while ISO/IEC 42001 focuses on how companies manage and govern AI.
At government level, similar rules are also beginning to appear. Under the EU AI Act, certain AI-generated or manipulated content now has to be marked or disclosed, while users must also be informed in certain cases when they are interacting directly with AI.
These systems therefore already cover several aspects of AI use, from identifying generated content to recording how it was produced and examining how companies manage the technology. What remains less developed is a common way of showing the degree of involvement in the final product or service.
Pricing and Consumer Choice
A more standardised system would give businesses and consumers a clearer basis for comparison. Companies could use common definitions when describing how AI is involved in their products or services, while platforms and business customers could use the same information when comparing suppliers.
For consumers, the benefit would be more straightforward. They would not need to understand every tool used during production. A recognised standard could instead provide a clearer indication of how a product or service was made.
Once this information becomes visible, it can also influence how companies position themselves. A business that automates a large part of its production may be able to operate more quickly and at lower cost. Another may deliberately retain greater human involvement and make this part of what the customer is paying for.
Similar choices already exist in other markets. Global sourcing can lower costs through larger production volumes, cheaper raw materials or lower labour costs, while locally produced alternatives may be more expensive. Some consumers are nevertheless willing to pay more because they value origin or want to support domestic production. Research among Italian consumers on Made in Italy products found a stated willingness to pay premiums across food, fashion and furnishings, most commonly between 10% and 30%.
Fairtrade shows a similar effect around production conditions rather than origin. Research on Fairtrade chocolate has found a measurable willingness among consumers to pay more for certification. These preferences do not always translate into actual purchases, however, and certified products can still account for a small part of the wider market.
Consumer preferences can also influence what companies decide to sell. Environmental concerns provide one example. Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd in Germany stopped using Brazilian beef in new fresh and frozen meat supply contracts from 2022, citing deforestation risks and difficulties in tracing the supply chain. The companies also referred to growing demand for domestic and regional meat. A potentially cheaper source can therefore lose part of a market when other characteristics of production become important to retailers and their customers.
AI could create a similar form of segmentation. One marketing company may automate much of its copy, imagery and video production and compete through speed and lower prices. Another may continue to employ writers, photographers, designers and strategists throughout the process, making greater human involvement part of its positioning.
A certification system could make that difference visible. Companies could use it to describe how their products or services are produced, while consumers and business customers could decide whether the level of AI involvement affects what they are willing to pay.
Conclusion
AI is becoming a normal part of production, but the level of involvement can vary considerably between products, services and companies. In some cases, it remains a supporting tool, while in others it carries out a much larger share of the work.
That difference is not always visible to the customer. Certification and disclosure could provide a clearer indication of how a product or service was produced, similar to existing systems for origin, production methods, environmental standards or labour practices.
Parts of this are already beginning to develop through platform labels, technical standards, independent certification and government rules. What is still missing is a more common way of showing the degree of AI involvement in the final product or service.
Whether such a distinction becomes commercially important will ultimately depend on consumers. Some may prefer cheaper and more automated products, while others may place greater value on human involvement and be willing to pay more for it. The same consumer may also value that distinction in one category but care very little about it in another.
Certification would not determine which model is better. It would simply make the difference visible and allow consumers to decide what matters to them.
Production note: This article was developed and directed by the author, with AI assistance used for research, source verification, structuring and editing. The argument, selection of examples and final editorial decisions were made by the author. All images are non-AI-generated and sourced from Shutterstock.
