The key points in three sentences: Our texts are created with AI support and are reviewed for content by a human who bears editorial responsibility before publication. Our product images are not AI images, but real manufacturer and retailer photos. Should we use AI-generated images in future, we will label them visibly directly in the image.
Overview: What is AI-assisted and what is not?
| Content type | AI used? | How exactly |
|---|---|---|
| Guide articles | Yes, AI-assisted | Draft with AI support, followed by content review and approval by the editorial team. Technical details are checked against manufacturer sources. |
| Model descriptions | Partly, rule-based | The running text on the model pages is assembled automatically from the verified catalogue data (text building blocks, no freely invented wording). |
| Technical data (drop, weight, cushioning) |
No | Researched manufacturer and specialist source information. No AI estimates, no invented measurements. |
| Product images | No, no AI images | Real product photos from the manufacturers or retailers, obtained via the Amazon interface. No generated images and no images subsequently altered by AI. |
| Prices | No | Guide prices for RRP orientation, taken from shop data. You can check the current daily price in the linked shop. |
| Editorial rating | No | Editorial assessment, explicitly not a test result. The derivation is explained under How we rate. |
Texts: AI-assisted, editorially reviewed
Some of our texts, especially the guide articles, are created with the support of generative AI. Every text is reviewed for content by a human before publication, corrected and approved. Editorial responsibility for all published content lies with:
Seydhan Cakmak, Cakmak Digital, Auf dem Paß 10, 27711 Osterholz-Scharmbeck, kontakt@topsneakerreviews.de
The review is not superficial: technical details such as drop, weight or fit are checked against manufacturer and specialist sources, internal links to model pages are validated against the actual catalogue, and passages without a reliable basis are deleted rather than smoothed over.
Under Art. 50(4) of the AI Act, the labelling obligation for AI-generated texts does not apply if they have undergone human review or editorial control and a natural or legal person bears editorial responsibility for the publication. Both are the case here. We still disclose the use of AI openly, because we consider transparency more important than exploiting an exemption.
Images: real product photos, no AI images
All shoe images on this site are real product photos from the manufacturers or retailers. We obtain them via the official Amazon interface as part of the affiliate programme. They are not AI-generated images, and we do not alter them with AI either.
Our commitment for the future: Should we ever use AI-generated or AI-altered images, we will label them visibly directly in the image with the note “AI-generated” and also in the caption and the alt text. This labelling is enforced technically when the page is built, not maintained manually.
For context: the AI Act requires visible labelling mainly for so-called deepfakes, that is, deceptively realistic depictions of real people, objects or events. Purely decorative or recognisably artistic AI images are not necessarily covered. We apply the stricter standard and would label every AI image, regardless of whether it would be legally required.
What we expressly do not do with AI
- No invented assessment results. We do not run our own lab, and we do not let AI pretend there is one.
- No invented measurements. Drop and weight come from manufacturer and specialist sources. Where a value is not documented, it does not appear on the page.
- No generated user reviews. There are no customer reviews on this site, neither real nor invented.
- No AI images as product pictures. A shoe is only shown with a real photo of that shoe. Models without an available product photo are not shown at all.
- No invented prices. Guide prices are based on the RRP and are labelled as such.
Legal framework
The governing text is Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on Artificial Intelligence (the AI Act). The transparency obligations of Article 50 have applied since 2 August 2026. They are addressed to providers and deployers of AI systems and require, among other things, that people can recognise when they are dealing with AI-generated content.
In addition: the machine-readable marking of AI-generated content, for example by watermarks or metadata, is under Art. 50(2) an obligation of the providers of the respective AI systems, not of the operator of a website. Our responsibility as operator lies in visible disclosure that people can understand, as provided on this page and on the content itself.
Note: This page is a self-declaration on transparency, not legal advice. It describes how we work and makes no claim to a definitive legal interpretation of the AI Act.
Questions or corrections?
If you notice anything on this site that is wrong, outdated or misleading, write to us: kontakt@topsneakerreviews.de. We correct documented errors promptly and openly. How our rating comes about is explained under How we rate; who is behind the site, under About us.
Status of this disclosure: August 2026. We update it as soon as our use of AI or the legal situation changes.