Google has withdrawn its Nano Banana 2 AI image-generation feature from Google Earth less than 48 hours after its 30 July launch, following concerns that it could be exploited to produce disinformation using falsified satellite imagery.
The company said it observed users sharing generated screenshots that appeared to violate its policies. Before the removal, researchers demonstrated the tool's capacity to produce convincing fake imagery of conflict zones, including fabricated bomb craters in Gaza and nonexistent nuclear facilities in Iran. Investigators also found that Google's SynthID watermarking could be circumvented and that external AI-detection tools failed to flag some outputs. AI researcher Henry Ajder warned that synthetic imagery in conflict areas could prove particularly destabilising.
The desktop-only feature had been available globally. The withdrawal follows Meta Platforms' recent decision to disable its Muse Image tool over privacy concerns.