Google Earth - Oops again.

On July 30 2026, Google Earth released a new feature using Nano Banana that allowed users to reimagine any place on Earth with a simple prompt. What was internally imagined for good to ...

generate custom images to help you visualize history, create real estate plans and more," did not go exactly as planned in this time of messy geopolitics.

Was there no organizational memory of how things could go wrong? In 2010, Google mistakenly changed the borders of a digital map (Google Map) of a historically disputed territory - which was off by 2.7 km. A part of Costa Rica was "reimagined" as part of Nicaragua. It resulted in troops crossing the San Juan River and planting a flag in the other country. At that time, a geopolicy analyst at Google said,

Cartography is a complex undertaking, and borders are always changing.

This raises questions about general knowledge, awareness, attention to detail, and the ability to predict risks across time (historically into the future) and across domains. You need an agile culture that is knowledgeable about history, culture, organizational memories, and global affairs. It's a bit tough to do if you keep firing people who know about these things and it's still in their heads.

News Flash: Most knowledge is not in books, blogs, chats, or easily codifiable

More stories like this in our book: AI-Enabled Business: A Smart Decision Kit.