Google Earth AI image tool removed after one day

Google has shut down a feature in Google Earth it launched on Thursday, which allowed users to edit satellite images using text prompts powered by artificial intelligence.

The tool essentially enabled users to create AI-generated "deepfakes" of the real world. For example, Henk van Ess of Digital Digging intentionally generated images depicting additions like refugees near the Mexican border and a bomb crater beside a hospital in Gaza.

Initially, Google stated that images generated via Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth included a digital watermark and that the company prevented "image creation on harmful topics."

However, a day later, Google announced the feature had been disabled for all users. The company clarified that the feature was not intended for release and was removed once its existence became public.

Google Earth development is ongoing, and the company has not commented on whether a similar tool might be released in the future.