Google adds AI image editing to Google Earth, raising fake image fears

In short: Google has added an AI image tool to Google Earth, and security and investigation experts warn it could make fake satellite images easier to spread.

What happened

Google announced that it has integrated its Nano Banana image generation model into Google Earth. This lets users type what they want to see and then add or change objects in satellite images.

Soon after the announcement, users on X shared examples of altered images. These included a claimed bomb crater in Gaza, nuclear power plants in Iran, and a car crash on a street in Amsterdam. Experts said these examples show how quickly the tool can be used to create believable but false scenes.

People who do “open-source intelligence” (often called OSINT, which means investigating using public information like maps, photos, and posts) said this is especially risky. They use Google Earth as a trusted reference to check whether images from hard-to-reach places are real. Sam Stockwell at the Alan Turing Institute said putting a generative tool inside that reference point could “corrupt” the benchmark people use to debunk fakes. OSINT researcher Henk van Ess made a similar point, saying the fake is being made inside the tool people use to verify reality.

Google has previously said images created with this tool include a watermark, which is a hidden label that can be detected by its Gemini AI model.

Why it matters

Satellite images are often used like a neutral “receipt” for what happened during conflicts or disasters. If convincing fake satellite images become common, it can be harder for journalists, investigators, and the public to trust what they are seeing, especially when posts spread fast and few people stop to check for watermarks.

Source: Financial Times