Google Earth AI Image Generator Pulled After Users Faked Satellite Images

Google has had to retract its integration of Nano Banana, an AI image generator, into Google Earth just two days after it was launched. The feature allowed users to create custom scenarios based on satellite imagery, such as turning the ruins of Pompeii into a lively Roman street scene or visualizing a planned building on an empty plot. However, users quickly demonstrated how easily the tool could generate convincingly realistic fake satellite images, including a migrant caravan at the Mexican border and a bombed hospital in the Gaza Strip. Google stated that the images were labeled as AI-generated and were not visible to other users within Earth, but that users had shared screenshots violating its policies. The company plans to reintroduce the feature only after introducing stronger safeguards. While it is still possible to manipulate satellite imagery using other AI tools or Photoshop, Google's integration made the process extremely easy, raising concerns about the proliferation of fake imagery.