TECH NEWS

Google nixes its Earth AI feature one day after launch, amid criticism it would spread misinformation

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-12.31.10-PM.png?resize=1200,670

In Brief

12:47 PM PDT · July 31, 2026

Google rolled out a new feature on Thursday that allowed users to deploy Nano Banana 2, its AI image generator, to create fabricated images inside its satellite imagery mapping app Google Earth. The whole point of this feature, Google said, was to get creative with geography.

But critics quickly pointed out that the tool could be used to create and spread misinformation. The tool, which was prompt-based and allowed pretty much any image to be superimposed over real maps, seemed like a recipe for a deluge of geospatial slop.

“There’s no way that this new AI image generation feature on Google Earth, one of the most reliable sources of visual evidence for journalists and researchers, could possibly be abused to spread misinformation online,” a BBC journalist posted sarcastically Thursday.

Now, only a day after the feature’s release, Google has scrapped it.

...

Copyright of this story solely belongs to techcrunch.com. To see the full text click HERE

Read more

https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/YZJRJELPVRLH7K7DZ7DG66CXE4.jpg?auth=1b8d2e8b77b9f11a0f3429b683365d807aca87481a694f54e4931ecd700646c5&height=1005&width=1920&quality=80&smart=true

Sources: OpenAI has discovered other instances where AI agents escaped containment; none of the agents were thought to have left OpenAI's network

More: Wired, New York Times, CyberScoop, Gizmodo, Financial Express, Washington Post, Inc, TechCrunch, Digital Trends, ZDNET, Breitbart, Bloomberg, PC Gamer, Hackread, BBC, The Verge, The Daily Caller, Cybersecurity Dive, Unite.AI, Simon Willison's Weblog, Marcus on AI, PCWorld, CRN, Constellation Research, Dexerto, CyberInsider, Quartz, Decrypt, Nextgov/FCW, SecurityWeek,
https://images.wsj.net/im-15760552/social

FBI and EPA say water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states reported cyberattacks this week, with some causing flooding and other operational issues

More: Wired, New York Times, CyberScoop, Gizmodo, Financial Express, Washington Post, Inc, TechCrunch, Digital Trends, Breitbart, ZDNET, Bloomberg, PC Gamer, Hackread, Cybersecurity Dive, BBC, The Verge, The Daily Caller, Unite.AI, Simon Willison's Weblog, Marcus on AI, PCWorld, CRN, Constellation Research, Dexerto, CyberInsider, Quartz, Decrypt, Nextgov/FCW, CSO,