Google Earth AI tool raises misinformation fears
That was fast. Google sent me a statement saying it is now “rolling back“ this AI feature after our demonstration and others from OSINT researchers www.404media.co/google-earth...
Aloysius Freeman175is that two things that have rolled back since 404media reported on it?
Derek Brauders87In what universe did Google senior engineers and / or key service directors think this WASN'T capable of being misused when released?. Do any of them operate anywhere near our universe? Idiotic to release this (no issues with coding it, just releasing it. Height of stupidity.
Shanon Taylor67Why do tech companies need tech reporters to point out how bad their ideas are? Shouldn’t someone realize it during development?
Radical Complexity (John T. Murphy)23They reversed that so fast the skid marks are visible from space. (Image not available.)
Wet And Loud™22how does a company shit the bed THIS BAD and NOT KNOW IT
Diana of Themyscira19I refuse to believe that the people coming up with this stuff are supposed to be smarter than the rest of us.
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò406it is very important that we have independent media and I am again tapping the sign for you to find billionaire free, worker run news to support how and when you are able
Rob Sheridan75Bullying works! And so does good journalism. Keep it up.
Kate Bevan33So I should think. Unbelievably bad and stupid "product" to roll out. Did nobody at Google think to apply the "what could possibly go wrong" test?
Relevant Ferret If Known24"So legal got back to us and the email simply read "LIABILITY = VERY YES"
Thaumana 🎨 Commissions OPEN 🌟 VGEN20People are wondering how decisions like these could ever have been approved, but at this point I'm convinced that those companies make such announcements on purpose for PR so that they can get or negotiate some kind of special deal on the black market or with the military later. No surprises anymore
Chris DeLeon Ⓥ make your own games18very glad this got rolled back, though the article is still important and relevant to look at because it's a good illustration of what is still now unfortunately very simple for anyone to do in 2026 (i.e. instead of 1 click directly in google earth 1-2 extra steps that don't take any rare expertise)
CosmicRami 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️16Maybe some people internally did object but the higher ups drove it to public release anyway. At that point, your self-reflection would be questioning your stand on ethics and integrity to continue working there. Anyway, it’s since been shut down. For all the red flag reasons expected.
Aaron Huertas15One of my professors did a lot of original research hypothesizing that near real time public satellite imagery could prevent genocides by exposing them as they happened. He thought it was important to share, heartbreakingly, as he saw firsthand in Rwanda, that they were far too optimistic.
DCapTO8Just because Google is immediately rolling back this AI feature, doesn’t mean this kind of disinfo creation isn’t already possible. The AI tools already exist, the intent is already out there & the tech companies are unregulated & already unaccountable. We are already in the Age of Disinformation.
Julia Van Dyke, the ðude 🏳️⚧️6Google's entire legal department currently being checked for hypertension
UPDATE: After the publication of this piece, Google sent 404 Media a statement saying it was “rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails.” www.404media.co/google-earth...
Laminariales68One (1) person with a working and non AI-addled brain could have foreseen the problems with this "feature" immediately, before the end of the sentence proposing it. But I guess Google doesn't have any of those people left.
The Infinitely Prolonged41There’s no amount of “guardrails” that make this feature OK. “I want you to fake satellite imagery- but you know, responsibly, with guardrails” There is no responsible use for this.
David Dixon17"Stronger guardrails" like "don't do it at all," hopefully.
drkarate.bsky.social11Its crazy this shit got released in the first place, really shows that they're just letting AI take the wheel with so much decision making
David Mayo 🦜10I could literally use Google Earth's innovative Nano Banana integration to add in some guardrails to the Google campus.
vinosmax.bsky.social8Why does this tool even need to exist? Given what the product is?!?!
Freya Holmér195hey maybe just, remove it? is there even a single good use case for the public to access something like this? it's a machine for lies, guardrails or not
jeeyon shim 심지연30Thank FUCK, and also thanks to 404 Media for breaking this story
Brendan Keogh16We're reaching the stage where the sci-fi author doesn't even need to write the book about the Torment Nexus before someone decides to go and create a Torment Nexus.
Xavier Velasquez13If BigTech could take one day off from being the enablers of humanity’s worst impulses, I would be so happy.
Kendra Albert12404 Media continues to get the goods.
Amos T6Thank you 404 Media for all the work you do. It really shouldn’t have taken a publication for Google to roll back a feature that never should have existed in the first place
ddɐ˙ʎʞsʞɔɐlq˙uǝʌs@5« But it's INEVITABLE and HERE TO STAY! »
Pete Davison5This feature does not need "guardrails". It needs to be incinerated. Possibly along with the person who thought it was a good idea to "roll it out" in the first place.
D. D. Syrdal4Guardrails my ass. WTF do they think is going to stop anyone with decent computer/programming skills?
Kay Cook (and cats)4Low-key, @404media.co has been doing some good and important work lately. This is just the latest piece I’ve noticed, but they’re kind of on a roll. I might have to get more into #404media going forward, based on what I’ve been seeing from them. 😤 #media #tech #Google #StreetView #GoogleEarth
The only people this can possibly benefit is real estate agents who want to engage in fraud or propagandists and politicians who want to share fake satellite imagery
Jay from Quahog6AI A LIE MACHINE AT SCALE
r3mindsa3sme.bsky.social1The approach of creating, cancelling or implementing software at Google is staggering and always linked to money and feels like it's run by a bunch of school boys. Think SketchUP was free, they sold it, and it's become another monthly money plan software. Why not keep it open source?
Well, that was fast. Thankfully. It would be helpful for Google to tell us what they think they are bringing to the world in introducing a way to modify Google Earth views. We seem to have several gangs of adolescent boys competing to see who can do the newest thing with "AI" and get it out.
Mon Mothra3that had real "someones goofy hackathon project got shipped into production because someone else saw it and got punchy" vibes. which is kinda weird coming from such a huge company
Jamie in PEI1What a perfect description of tech-bros.
Chris Gittins1They rolled it back but it'll take a while, if ever, to rebuild trust.
I'm just struggling to imagine what a non-misinformation use case would even be. Like, it's Google Earth, you don't use it for book illustrations or profile pics or PowerPoint presentations or any of the other reasons people claim "but I NEED this LLM!"
Gwen C. Katz10Like maybe a 14-year-old would find it funny to put aliens in Roswell for 10 seconds, but once the novelty wears off, what's it for?
Chris 🧪⚒️1I'm pretty sure its a combination of cutting costs on paying GIS techs and some middle management bro going down the list of products and saying "add AI to this".
Jesse Cushing1maybe like architecture/city planning stuff? like "show me what this building would look like in this undeveloped lot" Still not a good use case (there is no good use case for LLMs) but its the only not completely fucked up reason i can think of
