Google eliminated an AI image-generation characteristic from Google Earth on July 31, only a day after its July 30 launch, saying customers had been sharing generated imagery that appeared to violate its insurance policies.
Journalists and open-source researchers confirmed the Nano Banana instrument might simply fabricate occasions that by no means occurred—a blast crater in Los Angeles, a flooded U.S. Capitol, Iran’s Kharg Island on hearth—elevating fears it might supercharge misinformation.
Google’s protection that pictures carry a SynthID watermark didn’t reassure critics, and the corporate mentioned it will solely restore the characteristic after including stronger guardrails, giving no timeline.
Google has pulled a newly launched synthetic intelligence characteristic from Google Earth barely a day after releasing it, following a swift backlash from journalists and open-source investigators who warned it might flood the web with convincing faux satellite tv for pc imagery.
The corporate launched the instrument on July 30, letting customers zoom to any location on Google Earth’s net model, click on “create picture,” and generate a scene from a textual content immediate utilizing its Nano Banana mannequin. By July 31, it was gone.
In a press release posted to X, Google mentioned individuals “uniquely belief Google Earth for a dependable view of the world,” and that whereas geospatial professionals had discovered helpful functions, others had been sharing generated pictures that appeared to violate its insurance policies. It mentioned it was rolling again the characteristic whereas constructing stronger guardrails.
Tonight I typed only one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees close to the Mexican border. Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran. What on earth is Google doing? Test my newest publish right here: https://t.co/N0h6CVECqS pic.twitter.com/WSjdcEXWJx
— 𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚔 𝚟𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚜𝚜 (@henkvaness) July 30, 2026
The alarm centered on how simply the instrument fabricated occasions that by no means occurred. Tech outlet 404 Media demonstrated it might produce a blast crater in Los Angeles and add protesters outdoors Google’s personal Mountain View campus. NPR generated pictures of Iran’s Kharg Island ablaze and a flooded U.S. Capitol, each of which might be main information if actual. Open-source researcher Henk van Ess instructed NPR he tried prompts together with refugees on the Mexican border and a nuclear plant in Iran, and that none had been refused.
Re: our assertion on Picture Era in Google Earth: “We all know that individuals uniquely belief Google Earth for a dependable view of the world. We’ve seen geospatial professionals utilizing this characteristic for a variety of helpful functions, nevertheless we’ve additionally seen individuals sharing screenshots of…
— Information from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) July 31, 2026
Satellite tv for pc imagery has lengthy served as a trusted anchor for verifying breaking information and atrocities, exactly as a result of it has been tough to faux. Bellingcat researcher Jake Godin cautioned that one-click technology would streamline the creation of fakes and speed up their unfold, including that misinformation outruns any correction and that governments might now dismiss genuine pictures as fabricated.
Google had initially downplayed the considerations, noting that each picture carries its SynthID watermark, which flags it as AI-generated in instruments like Gemini, and that it blocks creation on dangerous subjects. Critics known as that inadequate, arguing few individuals cease to confirm pictures earlier than sharing them.
Google mentioned it will reinstate picture technology in Google Earth solely after implementing tighter protections, although it gave no timeline.
Every day Debrief E-newsletter
Begin daily with the highest information tales proper now, plus unique options, a podcast, movies and extra.
