Google had to pull its Nano Banana integration from Google Earth just two days after launch. The feature let users generate custom scenes from satellite imagery using Nano Banana 2, like turning the ruins of Pompeii into a bustling Roman street scene or dropping a planned building onto an empty lot. But users quickly showed how easy it was to create convincing fake satellite images, like a refugee column at the Mexican border or a bombed-out hospital in Gaza.
Google said the images were labeled as AI-generated and weren't visible to other users inside Earth. Still, people shared screenshots that violated Google's policies. The feature won't return until stronger safeguards are in place. "We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world," Google writes.
That doesn't make anyone safe from fake satellite imagery. Anyone can manipulate a Google Earth screenshot with an AI image tool or Photoshop. But Google made it as easy as possible and put the idea in people's heads.