Google Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one day

TechAINewsGoogle Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one dayLetting people easily alter images with an AI prompt was a bad idea.Letting people easily alter images with an AI prompt was a bad idea.by Jay Peters and Stevie BonifieldJul 31, 2026, 7:13 PM UTCLinkShareGiftPompeii reimagined with Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth. Image: GoogleGoogle 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’s initial response to van Ess noted that images generated with Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth included a digital watermark and that the company prevented “image creation on harmful topics.”One day later, Google’s new statement says that “We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. 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. It’s important to note that generated images didn’t appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI generated.”van Ess pointed out that he was able to fool Hive’s AI detection tool with a video generated in Google Earth, showing how the generated media could spread despite the watermarks, and said in his testing, “Nothing was refused, nothing was softened, and nothing suggested I try a different prompt.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersStevie BonifieldAIAppsGoogleNewsTechMost PopularMost PopularThis tattoo is permanent, pain-free, and might soon come in the mailXbox CEO lays out priorities in memo after major ‘reset’The loss of Situational AwarenessThe US government just banned RoombasThe ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer, only worseThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad