Google Just Ruined One of Its Most Important Tools

Google Earth was a boon for researchers--and then came the deepfakes. AI-generated images produced using Google Earth show multiple fabricated violent events. Earlier today, I used Google Earth to conjure images of terrible things: office buildings on fire, mass destruction in San Francisco, a smoldering crater in place of the Eiffel Tower. I was able to because Google had just decided to integrate its AI image generator, Nano Banana, into the service, which has historically been used by people seeking satellite or aerial imagery of real-world locations. Just open the site, "pick a spot on the map, and start bringing your ideas to life," Google wrote in a press release announcing the update some 24 hours ago.