Google pulled a new artificial intelligence image-generation feature from Google Earth on Friday, just one day after launching it globally, after users demonstrated that the tool could be used to fabricate realistic-looking satellite-style imagery superimposed over real, named locations.
The feature, called “Create Image,” used Google’s Nano Banana 2 model, technically known as Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, to generate AI images grounded in actual satellite, aerial and 3D terrain data for any location a user selected within Google Earth’s web platform. Google framed the launch as a creative tool that could let users visualize how a historical landmark once looked, brainstorm urban planning concepts for a vacant lot, or preview real estate development ideas before construction began, distinguishing it from general-purpose AI image generators that start only from a blank text prompt rather than a real, mapped location.
The feature rolled out globally at no additional charge on Thursday, available exclusively through Google Earth’s web version at earth.google.com rather than through the mobile apps, which together account for more than 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone. Generated images were watermarked, both visibly and with an embedded invisible marker, and could only be saved within Google Earth projects, without the ability to be directly exported or shared outside the platform, according to Google’s developer documentation.
Those safeguards proved insufficient to prevent misuse once the tool became widely accessible. Digital investigator Henk van Ess demonstrated the feature’s potential for generating misleading content by producing images depicting refugees near the Mexican border, a nuclear facility in Iran, a fatal crash scene in Amsterdam, and a bomb crater near a hospital in Gaza, all superimposed onto real, identifiable map locations within Google Earth’s interface.
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The specific interaction model underlying the tool, allowing users to type a text description and have the resulting AI-generated image dropped directly onto a real satellite map location, drew particularly sharp criticism given Google Earth’s established reputation as a widely trusted source of geospatial reference imagery. Journalists routinely use the platform to geolocate conflict footage and verify the authenticity of on-the-ground reporting, human rights investigators use it to corroborate witness accounts of specific events, and academics rely on it as a baseline dataset for geographic and historical research. Layering a generative AI tool directly inside that same interface effectively collapsed the visual distinction between genuine, recorded satellite imagery and synthetic, AI-fabricated imagery within a single trusted platform, a concern critics raised almost immediately after the feature’s rollout.
Google confirmed it was rolling back the feature after becoming aware of screenshots showing generated imagery that the company said appeared to violate its policies. The company said it plans to rebuild the tool with stronger safeguards before any future relaunch, though it has not provided a specific timeline for when a revised version might become available again.
Prior to the rollback, Google had highlighted a range of intended use cases for the tool through its official launch materials, including visualizing historical scenes at real-world landmarks, generating easy-to-read historical infographics tied to specific locations, and exploring conceptual redesigns of public spaces or vacant lots. The company positioned the feature as adding a new creative layer to Google Earth, transforming the platform from a tool that primarily shows users the world as it currently exists into one that also lets them imagine what a given location could become in the future.
Nano Banana 2 sits within a broader family of Google image-generation models of varying capability tiers. It occupies a mid-tier position between the lighter-weight Nano Banana 2 Lite, which can generate standalone images in roughly four seconds through Google’s developer API at a cost of $0.034 per image, and the more capable Nano Banana Pro, which Google has reserved for more complex, professional-grade image rendering tasks.
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The rapid rollback comes just days after Google had separately touted the growing role of artificial intelligence within its broader product ecosystem, crediting AI tools with helping identify and fix significantly more bugs within its Chrome browser in June than the company had resolved across the prior two years combined, according to reporting on the company’s recent AI-related announcements.
The Google Earth incident adds to a broader, ongoing debate across the technology industry about how to responsibly deploy increasingly capable generative AI image tools within platforms that carry an established reputation for accuracy and trustworthiness. Watermarking and export restrictions, the two primary safeguards Google built into the initial version of the Nano Banana 2 Earth integration, proved insufficient on their own to prevent the creation of convincing, potentially misleading fabricated imagery tied to real, sensitive locations, underscoring the difficulty technology companies continue to face in balancing creative AI features against the risk of enabling visual misinformation.
With the feature now pulled less than 24 hours after its global debut, Google has not specified what additional guardrails it intends to implement before considering a future relaunch, leaving open questions about whether the underlying tension between creative flexibility and misinformation risk can be fully resolved for a feature integrated directly into one of the world’s most widely used and trusted geospatial reference platforms.
The Milwaukee Brewers made their latest move ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline Saturday, sending reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for catcher Bo Naylor and pitcher Codi Heuer.
Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold completed the deal early Saturday morning, adding another transaction to Milwaukee’s busy stretch of trade deadline activity with just a few days remaining before the deadline closes. The trade came as something of a surprise given that catcher had not previously been viewed as a position the Brewers needed to address, with veteran Gary Sánchez having served as the team’s backup catcher for the entirety of the season and posting a strong 118 OPS+ in that role. Sánchez has been particularly effective against left-handed pitching, hitting .274 with an .878 OPS in matchups against lefties this season.
Naylor, by contrast, has struggled offensively at the major league level this season, hitting .143 with a .438 OPS and a 23 OPS+. The 26-year-old was optioned to the minor leagues earlier this season and had accumulated just 84 at-bats at the big-league level before the trade. Despite his struggles this year, Naylor carries more than 1,000 career major league at-bats and has hit 40 career home runs, giving him a more extensive track record than his current-season numbers alone would suggest.
Given Naylor’s offensive struggles relative to Sánchez’s production this season, the trade initially appears to represent a downgrade at the position on paper. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the addition of Naylor could open the door for the Brewers to move Sánchez in a separate trade before the deadline passes, suggesting Saturday’s deal may be connected to broader roster maneuvering the front office has planned for the position rather than representing the full scope of Milwaukee’s catching plans for the stretch run.
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The trade also included the departure of Perkins, who had clearly fallen out of favor within the organization over the course of the season. Perkins lost his spot on the major league roster on multiple occasions this year amid ongoing offensive struggles at the plate. He had retained some support from Brewers manager Pat Murphy despite those struggles, but with limited offensive production, Perkins had few remaining paths to consistent big-league playing time heading into the trade.
Perkins’s inclusion in the deal allowed the Brewers to also acquire Heuer, a journeyman relief pitcher who has posted largely mediocre results in his limited major league appearances this season, carrying a 4.66 ERA at the big-league level. Heuer has spent the majority of the current season pitching at the Triple-A level, where his performance has been notably stronger, posting a 3.46 ERA in that role.
Both Naylor and Heuer are being assigned to Triple-A Nashville upon joining the Brewers organization, meaning Milwaukee effectively traded two players who had been contributing directly to its major league roster depth in exchange for two players who will begin their tenure with the organization at the Triple-A level. That structure has left some analysts characterizing the trade as somewhat puzzling when viewed in isolation, since it does not appear likely to meaningfully upgrade Milwaukee’s current major league roster on its own. The deal is widely viewed as more likely a precursor to additional moves the Brewers front office plans to make before the trade deadline closes, rather than a standalone transaction intended to directly address an immediate roster need.
Saturday’s trade extends a busy stretch of activity for Milwaukee’s front office as the deadline approaches. The Brewers had previously acquired pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon in a trade with the Houston Astros earlier in July, adding to a series of moves aimed at bolstering the team’s roster ahead of the postseason push. Milwaukee entered the weekend with a strong 67-41 record, positioning the team among the league’s contenders as the deadline approaches.
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Both Yoho and Perkins had spent time as part of Milwaukee’s major league roster depth this season, with Yoho working out of the bullpen and Perkins serving in an outfield role, before their departures as part of Saturday’s trade with Cleveland. Neither player had established themselves as a clear long-term fixture on the Brewers roster heading into the trade, a dynamic that likely factored into the front office’s willingness to include both players in the package sent to Cleveland in exchange for Naylor and Heuer.
With Milwaukee’s front office having already been active throughout the month of July and the trade deadline still several days away, additional moves from the Brewers front office remain a distinct possibility as the team continues working to reshape its roster ahead of the stretch run, particularly given the suggestion that Saturday’s acquisition of Naylor could set the stage for a separate trade involving Sánchez before the deadline period concludes.
Arcadis NV (ARCAY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 30, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
Company Participants
Christine Disch – Head of Investor Relations Heather Polinsky – Chair of the Executive Board & CEO Simon Crowe – CFO & Member of Executive Board
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Conference Call Participants
Martijn den Drijver – ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Research Division Luuk Van Beek – Banque Degroof Petercam S.A., Research Division Natasha Brilliant – UBS Investment Bank, Research Division Simon Van Oppen – Kepler Cheuvreux, Research Division Kristof Samoy – KBC Securities NV, Research Division Chase Coughlan – Kempen & Co. N.V., Research Division Maarten Verbeek – The Idea-Driven Equities Analyses Company Dirk Verbiesen – ING Groep N.V., Research Division
Presentation
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Operator
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. I am Gailey, your Chorus Call operator. Welcome, and thank you for joining the Arcadis conference call and live webcast to present and discuss the second quarter and first half 2026 results. [Operator Instructions]
At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Ms. Christine Disch, Investor Relations Director. Ms. Disch, you may now proceed.
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Christine Disch Head of Investor Relations
Thank you, Gailey. Good day, everyone, and welcome to our half year and second quarter 2026 results con call. My name is Christine Disch, and I’m the Investor Relations Director here at Arcadis. With me on this call are CEO, Heather Polinsky; and our CFO, Simon Crowe. We would like to start with the presentation. And as usual, this will be followed by Q&A. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that in today’s session, management may reiterate forward-looking statements, which were made in the press release. Please note that the risks to these statements are described on the press release itself and on the company’s website.
The Old Fox of Dalal Street has been on a dream run since the past couple of weeks. On Friday, most stocks that he had been steadily building up positions in figured among key gainers of the day. State Bank of India shares hit a new peak of Rs 2,879.95, before closing at Rs 2,849.40, up 2.35% over the previous close.
SpiceJet hit a 52-week high of Rs 68.45 before closing at Rs 66.05, up 8% over the previous close. Bombay Dyeing hit a 52-week high of Rs 684.85 before closing at Rs 661.55, up 12% over its previous close. Godrej Properties rose 3% to close at Rs 776.40. It remains to be seen, if the Fox will make a quiet exit when the going is good, or hang in there for bigger profits.
A new quadruped robot from Chinese robotics company Unitree has gone viral online, drawing widespread attention for its ability to navigate rough terrain, water and steep cliffs without remote control, while also unsettling some viewers who compare its fluid, autonomous movements to dystopian technology depicted in shows like “Black Mirror.”
The robot, officially named the AS2-W and marketed by Unitree under the “Super Athlete” branding, weighs roughly 50 to 55 pounds, according to reporting from Core77 and AOL, and can carry more than double its own weight in cargo, making it a candidate for tasks such as cargo transport, scientific fieldwork and search-and-rescue operations. NBC News correspondent Priscilla Thompson reported on the viral footage in a segment examining both the technology’s capabilities and the public reaction it has generated.
What distinguishes the AS2-W from earlier generations of similar robots is its autonomous navigation system. Rather than requiring a human operator to steer the machine around obstacles in real time, the robot gathers environmental data continuously and adjusts its movements independently as it encounters new terrain, according to AOL’s reporting. That represents a significant technical shift from prior robot generations, which typically required constant human guidance to navigate unpredictable or changing surroundings.
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Video footage released by Unitree shows the robot traversing steep cliffs, streams and rocky, uneven paths with a level of fluidity and balance that outside observers have described as strikingly lifelike. According to QNC News, the robot appears to make dynamic, real-time adjustments to its gait and balance as the terrain shifts beneath it, recovering from stumbles and adjusting its footing on loose gravel in ways that allow it to maintain forward momentum across obstacles that would have stopped earlier robot models entirely. Robotics observers have attributed those capabilities to advances in sensor technology, artificial intelligence processing and mechanical design that let the machine respond dynamically to its surroundings rather than simply executing a set of predetermined instructions.
Unitree has positioned several practical applications for the technology, emphasizing its potential use in cargo transport, scientific expeditions and search-and-rescue missions in difficult, rugged terrain where human access might otherwise prove dangerous or impractical. The company is also promoting the robot as a potential hiking companion capable of carrying a hiker’s gear across challenging trail conditions.
The online reaction to the viral footage has been sharply divided. Some viewers have expressed genuine unease at the robot’s autonomous, fluid movement, drawing comparisons to dystopian robotic technology portrayed in science fiction media. One commenter reacting to the footage on social media, described as a former infantry soldier, said he would not want to encounter the robot on a battlefield, according to AOL’s reporting. Other viewers have responded with humor, joking about robot uprisings and doomsday scenarios rather than expressing genuine concern.
Other reactions have leaned considerably more positive, with some commenters emphasizing the robot’s potential humanitarian applications over any perceived threat. One social media user, responding directly to the concerns raised by other viewers, argued that the robot’s search-and-rescue potential outweighed any unease, noting that there are far more real-world incidents where a capability like this could prove useful than situations requiring military application.
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Unitree has attempted to soften the robot’s public image in some of its promotional material. Rather than showcasing the machine performing more aggressive, martial arts-style movements, as some of the company’s bipedal humanoid robots have done in past demonstrations, the AS2-W is shown breakdancing in certain footage, a stylistic choice that appears intended to emphasize the robot’s friendlier, non-threatening character.
No official retail price has been listed on Unitree’s website for the AS2-W, though the device is rumored to sell for approximately $40,000, according to Boing Boing’s reporting, a price point roughly half that of Boston Dynamics’ comparable Spot robot, though still a substantial cost for a machine primarily marketed as a cargo-carrying companion.
The viral attention surrounding the AS2-W arrives amid broader, rapid advances across the humanoid and quadruped robotics industry, driven substantially by improvements in AI-based training techniques that allow robots to learn complex movement patterns more efficiently than through traditional, manually programmed instructions. Even so, not every recent robotics demonstration has gone smoothly. The industry has also seen a number of high-profile failures in recent months, including instances of humanoid robots tripping during public demonstrations or behaving unpredictably around nearby people, incidents that have tempered some of the broader enthusiasm surrounding the pace of robotics development.
Despite the rapid technical progress on display in Unitree’s latest footage, robotics experts have continued to emphasize that humanoid and quadruped robots remain far from a stage where they could be safely and reliably integrated into everyday home environments for routine daily tasks. The current generation of advanced robots, including the AS2-W, remains largely oriented toward specialized commercial, industrial and outdoor applications rather than general household use, even as companies like Unitree continue pushing the underlying technology’s capabilities forward at a pace that has repeatedly surprised industry observers.
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This is not Unitree’s first viral moment. The Chinese robotics company, which has previously demonstrated products at high-profile Chinese cultural events including the 2021 CCTV Spring Festival Gala and the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, has built a reputation over recent years for releasing striking demonstration videos that consistently draw significant public attention, both from enthusiasts impressed by the technology’s rapid advancement and from viewers who find the machines’ increasingly lifelike movements unsettling.
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Shares of Cipla inched up on heavy volumes on Friday, after the company’s first quarter earnings beat the consensus estimate. On the BSE, the stock closed at Rs 315.45, up 0.5% over its previous close, with 2.84 lakh shares — twice the 2-week average daily volume —being traded. Dealers tracking the stock said the ‘Big Daddy’ of insurance companies was a key buyer. However, traders who had built up positions in anticipation of good quarterly numbers, chose to book profits, thus restricting gains in the stock.
Good afternoon, and welcome to the SDI Group Plc Final Results Investor Presentation. [Operator Instructions] Before we begin, I would like to submit the following poll.
I would now like to hand you over to CEO, Stephen Brown. Good afternoon.
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Stephen Brown CEO & Director
Good afternoon, and a warm welcome to today’s final results for the year ended 30th of April 2026. I’m Stephen Brown, CEO of SDI Group, and joining me is our CFO, Ami Sharma; and Group Head of Corporate Development, James Dimitriou.
Today, we’ll walk you through our group summary, provide an operational overview, present the financial results for FY ’26 and discuss the outlook for next year. At the end, we will answer any questions you may have.
First, let me introduce you to the SDI Group. We are a buy-and-build group with, at the year-end, 18 established businesses with over 550 employees operating from 19 locations worldwide. We operate a decentralized model that fosters autonomy, independence and agility with our focus being on high-growth scientific niche markets. We have a proven strategy of combining organic growth with earnings-enhancing acquisitions, having made 21 since 2014.
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In FY ’26, we achieved a total group revenue of circa GBP 75 million, and this came from growth from all 3 of our divisions. This is, in fact, the highest level in SDI’s history. Also, with our operations being geographically diverse, we export more than 70% of our highly specialized products to international markets.
Our buy-and-build model relies on a compounding cycle of growth. This cycle focuses on 2 key pillars, organic
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz reveals whistleblowers in Minnesota were ‘ostracized’ and called ‘racist’ for trying to address Medicaid fraud involving Somalis.
Minnesota’s ban on cryptocurrency ATMs took effect Saturday after state officials said residents had reported losing nearly $1 million in scams involving the machines since 2023.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation on May 4 banning the installation of crypto ATMs, also known as kiosks, which are commonly found in gas stations and convenience stores. Existing machines must be removed from the state by Dec. 31.
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The ATMs were being used by criminals to disproportionately target seniors, according to state officials.
Scammers often impersonate law enforcement officers and pressure elderly victims into using nearby crypto ATMs to send money for a loved one’s supposed release from jail, according to Paul Haas, an investigator with Minnesota’s Department of Commerce.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz prepares to testify during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“When victims call our office after a crypto kiosk scam, you can hear the panic and shame in their voices,” Haas said. “By the time victims realize they were deceived, the emotional and financial damage can be devastating.”
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Officials also said many of the thefts go unreported because the victims are embarrassed at having been tricked.
Last year alone, there were 70 cases of people falling victim to these kinds of fraud schemes, investigators said. More than $540,000 was lost and the average loss per transaction was nearly $6,800, according to state officials.
Crypto ATM transactions cannot be reversed and are often difficult to trace once the funds reach a scammer’s digital wallet, according to officials in severalother states that have reported similar problems.
A cryptocurrency ATM in a gas station in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on May 21, 2026. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Transactions made with cryptocurrency are generally irreversible because once they are made, they are recorded on a decentralized blockchain, meaning no central institution can simply cancel them or recover the funds.
Traditional bank transactions, by contrast, pass through centralized financial institutions that may be able to freeze, dispute or reverse certain payments.
U.S. consumer-protection laws also require banks to investigate certain unauthorized electronic transfers, while credit-card customers generally have the right to dispute unauthorized charges through the chargeback process.
Crypto transactions generally do not carry comparable consumer protections, though Congress is attempting to bring digital currency under more stringent federal regulation.
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Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced his agency will freeze more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota over suspected fraud on July 21, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The crypto ATM ban in Minnesota comes as the state faces broader scrutiny over allegations of widespread fraud involving government-funded programs, prompting a growing federal crackdown and renewed criticism of Walz’s oversight of state agencies.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), led by Mehmet Oz, is withholding more than $200 million from Minnesota while federal officials review what they described as high-risk Medicaid claims and documentation deficiencies.
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Days after that announcement, the Department of Justice said four Minnesota men pleaded guilty to stealing $2.2 million from the state’s program to help homeless people. The program was primarily funded through Medicaid.
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