Google takes down AI image generator tied to Google Earth after satellite photo deepfakes
Google has suspended a new AI image generation feature in Google Earth after users utilized it to create deepfake images of violence and disasters. The company is currently working on implementing stronger safety guardrails before potentially re-releasing the tool.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the growing challenge tech companies face in balancing generative AI innovation with the risks of misinformation and malicious content creation.
Google has taken down a day-old feature that allowed users of Google Earth to generate AI images, with the rollback coming after people online shared deepfake images of terrorist attacks and other forms of destruction.
The feature had allowed users of Google Earth to build on the available imagery and generate AI images using it, via text prompts. Introduced earlier this week on July 30, it was taken down after a day or so, following reports of people misusing it, as well as customer criticism.
The AI image generation feature was powered by Google’s Nano Banana 2 AI model, which enjoyed viral popularity at the time of its initial launch and sparked multiple AI-image trends.
While Google did not provide examples of the AI-generated content that violated its policies, screenshots on Elon Musk-owned X showed realistic satellite images featuring false terror attacks, industrial accidents, and other forms of violence.
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