Google introduced an AI image-generation feature in Google Earth that allowed users to alter or create satellite-style images of real locations. The move prompted concern that convincing fabricated depictions of conflict, disasters or other events could be presented as genuine evidence, weakening trust in imagery often used by journalists, researchers and investigators.

Reports showed users could rapidly generate scenes such as bomb damage, fires and large protests within the mapping service. Google said the images carried its invisible SynthID watermark and could be checked using Gemini or Google Lens, but later said it was rolling back the feature while developing stronger safeguards; critics argued that watermark checks may not prevent misleading images spreading first.