Google Halts AI Image Feature on Earth After Disinformation Fears

Google has rolled back a new artificial intelligence feature for Google Earth that allowed users to generate AI visualizations on top of the service's satellite imagery. The decision followed a strong backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts who raised concerns about the potential for widespread disinformation.

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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. So we're rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails.

A Google spokesperson stated, "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 added, "So we're rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails." They acknowledged the unique trust users place in Google Earth for a reliable view of the world.

The "create image" tool, launched just one day prior, integrated Google's image-generation technology into Google Earth. It enabled users to zoom into locations and create images in seconds using the platform's satellite, aerial, and 3D-mapping data. Google had promoted it as a tool for visualizing history and creating real estate plans, among other uses.

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We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world.

However, disinformation researchers immediately warned that the feature could empower malicious actors to create convincing geospatial fakes. "Google spent 20 years building the reference the world checks against," wrote digital investigations expert Henk Van Ess. "Today it added a button that makes things up." Brady Africk, a research analyst specializing in satellite imagery, told AFP that the update would have made it "easier to generate convincing fake satellite imagery that can spread quickly online and mislead the public," thereby eroding trust and complicating the work of journalists and researchers.

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Google spent 20 years building the reference the world checks against. Today it added a button that makes things up.

Google had initially responded on X, stating that images created with the feature included invisible SynthID digital watermarks. The company reiterated its commitment to combating misinformation, linking to its AI policy. Nevertheless, tests by AFP on Friday demonstrated the tool's capacity to fabricate satellite images with potentially serious global implications, including an explosion in Paris, a nuclear site in Iran, and a bomb crater in Russia. The tool also generated fake scenes of floods in Bangladesh, a migrant caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border, and a suspicious warehouse in Georgia.

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Such fakes erode public trust in satellite imagery, and make the jobs of journalists and researchers more difficult.