Google has rolled back a newly introduced feature that let Google Earth users generate AI-created visualisations layered over satellite imagery, reversing course on Friday after warnings that the tool could be exploited to spread disinformation.
The feature had allowed users to overlay AI-generated content on top of the service’s real satellite maps, a capability that researchers and open-source intelligence experts said could produce convincingly fabricated depictions of real-world locations.
“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,” a Google spokesman said, explaining the decision to disable the tool while the company reviews its safeguards.
Critics had raised concerns that manipulated aerial and satellite views could be used to misrepresent events on the ground, complicate verification work, or fuel false narratives during conflicts and natural disasters. Satellite imagery has become a key resource for journalists, analysts and rights investigators who rely on it as a trusted reference point.
The backlash reflects the wider tension facing technology firms as they embed generative AI into mainstream products faster than guardrails can be tested. Tools that blur the line between authentic and synthetic imagery pose particular risks when applied to geographic data that the public treats as factual.
The reversal comes as Google’s parent company, Alphabet, continues to expand its generative AI portfolio across consumer and enterprise services. The company has recently pushed forward with a series of imaging and search initiatives, including its latest advances in AI image generation, underscoring how central the technology has become to its roadmap.
The episode also revives scrutiny of how the company balances rapid deployment against responsible use, a debate that intensified after Google revised its internal AI principles earlier this year.
Google has not said whether the Google Earth feature will return in a modified form. The company indicated it is evaluating additional controls to prevent misuse before deciding on any relaunch.