For a day, anyone could create and spread fake Singapore satellite images. Then Google backtracked

A new Google Earth AI-generation feature has been pulled after backlash and concerns over disinformation risks.

Furious researchers and open-source intelligence experts complained about the potential for disinformation.

Earlier today, I used Google Earth to conjure images of terrible things: office buildings on fire, mass destruction in San Francisco, a smoldering crater in place of the Eiffel Tower. I was able to because Google had just decided to integrate its AI image generator, Nano Banana, into the service, which has historically

Google rolled back a new feature on Friday that allowed Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this f

“What on earth is Google doing?” Misinformation fears spur walk-back of AI tool.

Similar fakes have had real-world impacts. In 2023, an AI image depicting an explosion at the Pentagon briefly rattled the markets.

Journalists, human rights advocates and open source analysts recoiled in horror at the move: "The opportunities for abuse and disinfo are literally boundless," said one.