Merlyn Thomas

Google paused a new Google Earth feature integrating the Nano Banana 2 image generator less than 48 hours after launch, following BBC Verify tests and expert warnings that users could create fabricated scenes over genuine satellite imagery. Tests produced false images involving conflict zones and landmarks, while safeguards and AI-detection systems could sometimes be bypassed. Google said it was implementing stronger guardrails and pointed to invisible watermarks and verification tools, but experts warned that attaching invented imagery to real coordinates could exploit Google Earth’s credibility and further erode trust in visual information.

Google paused the Google Earth feature integrating its Nano Banana 2 image generator less than 48 hours after launch, following BBC Verify testing and expert warnings that users could create and share fabricated scenes over genuine satellite imagery. Tests produced misleading images linked to real locations, including conflict zones, and showed that prompt changes could bypass content safeguards. Although Google uses invisible watermarks and offers Gemini and Lens for verification, BBC Verify found that these checks and external detection tools could sometimes be circumvented or fail. Experts warned that the feature could erode trust in satellite imagery and destabilize reporting during rapidly developing crises.