Google has pulled the plug on a newly launched Google Earth feature that let users generate AI-created visualisations using the platform's satellite imagery — and it happened remarkably fast, less than a day after the feature went live. The company made the call after researchers and members of the open-source intelligence (OSINT) community raised concerns that the tool could be misused to spread disinformation.
A Feature That Lasted Barely 24 Hours
The feature, called "Create Image," launched on Thursday, July 30, bringing Google's Nano Banana 2 image generation technology directly into Google Earth. The idea was simple — users could zoom into any location and generate AI-created images in seconds, built on top of Google Earth's existing satellite, aerial, and 3D mapping data.
But the rollback came almost immediately, within 24 hours of launch, once concerns started piling up about the risks of mixing AI-generated visuals with real-world mapping imagery — a combination that could easily be mistaken for authentic satellite data.
How the Tool Actually Worked
According to Google's original announcement, the feature was built to "work with users' imagination." The process was straightforward: zoom to a location on Google Earth's web version, click "create image," and type in a prompt describing what you wanted to see. Behind the scenes, this combined AI-generated content with Google Earth's genuine satellite imagery, aerial photography, and 3D mapping — which is exactly what made people uneasy. When AI-generated visuals are layered onto real geographic data, it becomes much harder to tell fabricated content apart from the real thing.
Google's Response: A Pause, Not a Cancellation
In its statement explaining the decision, Google acknowledged that people trust Google Earth as a reliable way to view the real world — and that trust is clearly something the company doesn't want to risk. Beyond that, Google hasn't shared many additional details, but the broader concern driving the pause is fairly clear: the feature could have made it easier to create and spread misleading or entirely fabricated visual content, especially in a tool that people generally assume shows them reality.
For now, it remains a pause rather than a permanent cancellation, leaving open the possibility that Google could reintroduce the feature later — likely with stronger safeguards in place to prevent misuse.
FAQs
Q1. Why did Google roll back the AI image feature in Google Earth?
Google paused the feature after researchers and the open-source intelligence community raised concerns that AI-generated visuals combined with real satellite imagery could be used to spread disinformation.
Q2. What technology powered the "Create Image" feature?
The feature used Google's Nano Banana 2 image generation technology, combined with Google Earth's satellite, aerial, and 3D mapping data.
Q3. Is the feature permanently cancelled or just paused?
According to Google's statement, the feature has been paused, not cancelled, suggesting it could potentially return in the future with additional safeguards.