Google has temporarily disabled a new AI-powered image generation feature in Google Earth just one day after its launch, following reports of users creating images that appeared to break the company’s policies.
The feature was powered by Google’s Nano Banana 2 AI model and allowed users to generate realistic AI images based on Google Earth’s satellite, aerial, and 3D map data. By simply entering a text prompt, users could create photorealistic scenes for virtually any location around the world.
Soon after the rollout, the tool faced criticism because it could be used to create convincing fake events or altered scenes involving real landmarks and monuments, raising concerns about misinformation.
In a post on X, Google said it had seen geospatial professionals using the feature for legitimate purposes, but also noticed users sharing AI-generated images that appeared to violate its policies. As a result, the company has decided to pause the feature while it develops stronger safeguards to prevent misuse.
Google did not reveal the exact types of policy violations it detected. However, the company noted that the generated images were not displayed in the standard Google Earth experience and were clearly marked with an AI-generated watermark.
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