Google rolls back new satellite image AI tool after backlash
Experts warn it could produce realistic geospatial fakes for misinformation, such as images of explosions, nuclear sites and militant bases
Google rolled back a new feature on Friday that allowed Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation.
“We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies,” a Google spokesman said in a statement.
“So we’re rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails.”
“We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world,” the statement added.
The “create image” tool, unveiled Thursday, had integrated Google’s Nano Banana 2 image-generation technology into Google Earth, letting users zoom into locations and build pictures in seconds based on the program’s satellite, aerial and 3D-mapping data.
Trust in satellite imagery has taken decades to build and could be irrevocably damaged overnight
Google had described it as a way to “visualise history, create real estate plans and more”.