Google Disables Google Earth AI Image Tool Following Disinformation Concerns

Google has rolled back a new artificial intelligence feature in Google Earth that allowed users to generate visualizations on top of satellite imagery. The tool, which integrated the Nano Banana 2 image generation technology, was unveiled on Thursday and disabled by Friday after researchers and open source intelligence experts warned of its potential to create realistic geospatial fakes. The feature enabled users to zoom into locations and build pictures based on satellite, aerial, and 3D mapping data using text prompts.

Google stated that while geospatial professionals used the tool for useful purposes, some users shared generated imagery that appeared to violate company policies. The company noted that it is pausing the capability to implement stronger guardrails. Google previously described the tool as a way to visualize history or create real estate plans, and it noted that images included SynthID digital watermarks to identify them as AI generated.

Critics and researchers demonstrated the tool's potential for misuse by fabricating images of an explosion in Paris, a nuclear site in Iran, a bomb crater in Russia, and refugees at the US Mexico border. Other users reportedly created images of a crash in Amsterdam and a military cemetery on Red Square. Experts warned that such capabilities could erode public trust in satellite imagery, which has long served as a primary reference for fact checking and verification.

Center left sources framed the event as a significant threat to global security and the integrity of digital investigations, highlighting specific geopolitical risks. Center sources focused more broadly on the tension between the tech industry's rush to integrate AI and the resulting need for restrictions due to user violations and privacy concerns.