The feature generated fake explosions, military sites, and conflict scenes before Google withdrew it to add stronger safeguards.

Google pulled its Google Earth AI tool one day after launch after people shared screenshots of generated images that appeared to violate its policies.

The company launched the “create image” feature globally for Google Earth web users on July 30. It combined Google Earth’s satellite, aerial and 3D imagery with the Nano Banana 2 image generator.

Users could select a real location, describe the scene they wanted and generate a new image based on that place.

Fake satellite images could be mistaken for evidence

The tool could create convincing images of events that never happened at real locations.

Agence France-Presse reported that its tests produced images of an explosion in Paris, a nuclear site in Iran, a bomb crater in Russia and an Islamic State training ground in Syria.

The tool also generated fabricated floods in Bangladesh, a migrant camp at the U.S.-Mexico border and a warehouse holding vans in Georgia.

Researchers warned that images like these could circulate online as supposed evidence of military activity, natural disasters or other real-world events. Google Earth imagery is commonly used by journalists and researchers to check images and videos tied to specific locations.

Initial controls did not prevent misuse

Google said the generated images were visible only to the people who created them. They did not replace satellite imagery in the main Google Earth service or appear to other users.

The images also included watermarks identifying them as AI-generated. Google said on X that it used SynthID, an invisible marker embedded in media created with its AI tools.

Those controls did not prevent people from taking screenshots and sharing them outside Google Earth. Once separated from the original interface, the images could be presented without the surrounding information showing how they were made.

Google said it withdrew the feature on July 31 because people “uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world.” The company said it would add stronger safeguards but did not specify what those controls would include.

Google promoted planning and educational uses

Google originally promoted the feature as a way to recreate historic locations, visualize real estate developments and preview construction projects.

Examples included showing how Pompeii might have looked before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and placing a proposed building on an empty lot.

Google has not said when the feature will return. The “create image” button remained unavailable after the company announced the rollback.