Google has removed a new AI image-generation feature from Google Earth just one day after its release, following swift backlash from journalists and open-source investigators who warned the tool could be used to create convincing fake satellite imagery.

The company introduced the feature on July 30, allowing users of Google Earth's web version to zoom to any location, click "create image," and generate a scene from a text prompt using Google's Nano Banana model. By July 31, the feature had been pulled entirely.

In a statement posted to X, Google said people "uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world." The company noted that while geospatial professionals had found useful applications for the tool, others had been sharing generated images that appeared to violate its policies. Google said it was rolling back the feature while building stronger guardrails but provided no timeline for restoration.

Re: our statement on Image Generation in Google Earth: "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… — News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) July 31, 2026

Journalists and researchers quickly demonstrated how easily the tool could fabricate events that never occurred. Tech outlet 404 Media showed the tool could produce images of a blast crater in Los Angeles and protesters gathered outside Google's own Mountain View campus. NPR generated images depicting Iran's Kharg Island ablaze and a flooded U.S. Capitol building — both scenarios that would constitute major news if they were real.

Open-source researcher Henk van Ess told NPR he tested prompts including refugees at the Mexican border and a nuclear plant in Iran, and said none of his requests were refused.

Tonight I typed just one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees near the Mexican border. Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran. What on earth is Google doing? Check my latest post here: pic.twitter.com/WSjdcEXWJx — 𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚔 𝚟𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚜𝚜 (@henkvaness) July 30, 2026

Satellite imagery has long served as a trusted anchor for verifying breaking news and documenting atrocities, precisely because it has been difficult to fake. Bellingcat researcher Jake Godin cautioned that one-click image generation would streamline the creation of fakes and accelerate their spread. He noted that misinformation typically outruns any correction and that governments could now point to the existence of such tools to dismiss authentic satellite images as fabricated.

Google had initially downplayed the concerns, pointing out that every generated image carries a SynthID watermark, which flags it as AI-generated in compatible tools such as Gemini. The company also said it blocks creation on harmful topics. Critics called those measures insufficient, arguing that few people stop to verify images before sharing them online. SynthID is not yet widely supported outside Google's own products, and broader industry efforts to establish common content-provenance standards, such as the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), are still in early adoption.

The rollback underscores the broader tension across the tech industry as companies race to ship generative AI features into trusted consumer products. Similar concerns have surfaced around AI-generated photos on social platforms and synthetic voices in robocalls, prompting lawmakers in the U.S. and European Union to push for labeling requirements and stricter deepfake regulations.

Google said it would reinstate image generation in Google Earth only after implementing tighter protections, though it did not provide a timeline.