Google Earth AI image feature yanked after users raise misinformation concerns

Google announced Friday that it’s rolling back a new AI image-generation feature for Google Earth after users sounded the alarm over misinformation concerns linked to easy-to-make fake satellite photos.The decision to pull the tool from Google Earth came just one day after it was introduced to the company’s satellite-imagery program, resulting in a slew of bizzare and disturbing images, including fake bomb blasts in major cities.

Powered by Google’s Nano Banana 2 technology, the feature allowed Google Earth users to generate photorealistic images within the platforms satellite, aerial and 3D imagery by simply writing a text prompt for any location across the globe.Users flocked to the new feature embedded within Google Earth’s interface after it was introduced Thursday and were able to create particularly harrowing, realistic images of war-torn cities and homeless encampments that did not exist.“Tonight I typed just one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees near the Mexican border.

Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran.Then I put a fatal crash on a street in Amsterdam,” 404 Media reported, citing a since-deleted blog post by OSINT researcher Henk van Ess.In a test by 404 Media, the outlet was able to generate skyscrapers in rural settings; add a homeless encampment to an an area of Los Angeles where homelessness is a major political issue; generated bomb blasts and craters in the City of Angels; and created protesters outside of Google’s corporate buildings. German investigative reporter Ben Huebel slammed the new AI feature, calling it “absolutely irresponsible and plain bad for investigations,” in a LinkedIn post Thursday.In a press release Thursday, Google advertised the generative tool as being able to create “custom images to help you visualize history, create real estate plans and more.”“Have you ever looked at an empty lot in your neighborhood and imagined a community garden, or wondered what your city looked like a century...