Google Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one day
Pompeii reimagined with Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth. | Image: Google Google has shut down Google Earth feature it launched Thursday that allowed users to edit satellite images with text prompts using AI. The tool essentially let users create AI deepfakes of the real world using text prompts; Digital Digging's Henk van Ess, for example, intentionally generated images adding things like refugees near the Mexican border and a bomb crater by a hospital in Gaza. On Thursday, Google
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Google launched a feature in Google Earth that used AI to let users edit satellite images by typing text prompts, essentially creating deepfakes of real-world locations. The tool was shut down one day later after users generated images depicting harmful scenarios like refugees and bomb craters, which violated Google's policies. Google stated it was rolling back the feature to implement stronger safeguards, noting that while generated images included watermarks and didn't appear in others' Google Earth views, screenshots of the generated content could spread and fool detection tools despite the watermarks.
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