Google Briefly Turned Google Earth Into an AI Slop Factory
Google temporarily disabled an AI feature in Google Earth after users generated misleading and harmful imagery, such as fake nuclear plants and disaster scenes. The company is currently working on improved safety guardrails.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing risks of generative AI tools being used to create misinformation and the challenges tech giants face in moderating user-generated content.
On Thursday, Google released a new AI feature that allowed anyone to create fake images in Google Earth. Naturally, people used the AI to put a fake nuclear plant in Iran and show a plane crashing into One World Trade Center in New York. After massive online backlash, the tech giant killed the feature on Friday.
“We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. 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,” the company said in a statement posted online .
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