Google Earth drops AI image generation amid misinformation concerns

Google has disabled its AI image generation feature in Google Earth just one day after its launch, citing concerns over the potential spread of misinformation, the company said in a statement posted on X.

“Thanks for your submissions, we appreciate it - unfortunately we have seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. So we've rolled back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails,” the company stated.

The feature allowed users to generate AI-created images within Google Earth's satellite maps using the Nano Banana 2 image generator. Google said the tool was designed to encourage a more creative approach to exploring geography.

However, critics quickly warned that the feature could be exploited to create and spread misinformation online.

Shayan Sardarizadeh, a BBC journalist who specializes in AI verification and disinformation, mocked the rollout in a post on X, writing: “There's no way that this new AI image generation feature on Google Earth, one of the most reliable sources of visual evidence for journalists and researchers, could possibly be abused to spread misinformation online. Absolutely no cause for concern here at all.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada