Google rolled out a new feature on Thursday that allowed customers to deploy Nano Banana 2, its AI picture generator, to create fabricated photographs inside its satellite tv for pc imagery mapping app Google Earth. The entire level of this function, Google stated, was to get artistic with geography.
However critics quickly pointed out that the software may very well be used to create and unfold misinformation. The software, which was prompt-based and allowed just about any picture to be superimposed over actual maps, appeared like a recipe for a deluge of geospatial slop.
“There’s no means that this new AI picture era function on Google Earth, probably the most dependable sources of visible proof for journalists and researchers, may presumably be abused to unfold misinformation on-line,” a BBC journalist posted sarcastically Thursday.
Now, solely a day after the function’s launch, Google has scrapped it.
“We’ve seen geospatial professionals utilizing this function for a spread of helpful functions, nonetheless we’ve additionally seen individuals sharing screenshots of generated imagery that seem to violate our insurance policies,” the corporate said in a statement.
“We’re rolling again this function in Google Earth whereas we work on implementing stronger guardrails,” Google added.
The criticism of Google’s software is comprehensible, though it’s value stating that, within the age of AI, most imagery that exists on the internet will be simply manipulated. You don’t should be a Photoshop whiz anymore to create semi-credible disinformation; you simply want entry to an AI picture generator, which Google sells, as do many different AI companies.
