Alphabet rolls back AI image generation in Google Earth over policy violations

Reuters | August 1, 2026 | 04:53 PM IST | Breaking News, Tech, Technology | Follow on Google News

Alphabet rolls back AI image generation in Google Earth over policy violations

July 31 (Reuters) – Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), Google said on Friday it was rolling back an AI image-generation feature it had introduced in Google ​Earth just a day ago, after users shared ‌images that appeared to violate the company’s policies.

The feature, powered by Google’s Nano Banana 2 AI model, had allowed users to generate photorealistic ​images grounded in Google Earth’s satellite, aerial and ​3D imagery by typing a text prompt for any ⁠location on the globe.

The tool had come under criticism ​for its potential for misinformation as it allowed users to ​create fake scenarios on top of real imagery of monuments and landmarks.

“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,” Google said on X, ‌adding ⁠that it was pausing the capability while it works on stronger guardrails.

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Google did not specify what types of images violated its policies. It said the images did not appear in the ​main Google ​Earth experience and ⁠were watermarked as AI generated.

While tech giants have rushed to integrate AI tools across their products, ​they have had to adjust, restrict or ​temporarily disable ⁠features in response to user violations, misinformation and policy concerns.

Meta (META.O),earlier this month discontinued Muse Image, an AI feature that allowed ⁠users ​to generate images using public Instagram ​accounts, after drawing widespread criticism over privacy concerns, including from a Hollywood union.

Reuters