Advised by AI that climbing the mountain would take about 8 hours, three male tourists took up to 16 hours to reach the top of the mountain and then got lost in the dark. One person was injured and had to wait for rescue all night.
Nick Meyers, a ranger with the US Forest Service, works at Mount Shasta, California, and has witnessed many mistakes made by tourists over the past 20 years. This year, he noticed a new trend: Montenegrin climbers had problems due to over-reliance on AI.
Meyers said at least three AI-related incidents occurred over the summer. At the end of August, three 20-year-old male tourists got lost and had to wait for rescue after conquering Mount Shasta, the 5th highest mountain in California.
According to the US Forest Service, three tourists departed on August 29 and set up camp in a restricted area. At 3 a.m. the next day, they started to climb to the top, carrying enough food and water for the expected journey of about 8 hours.
However, it took the group 16 hours to reach the top. When finding their way down the 4,300 m high mountain in the dark, they deviated from the original route and the phone used for navigation also ran out of battery.
Without enough food, water and equipment, the group had to set up a temporary camp for the night. At 9:30 a.m. on August 31, rangers found them and took them down the mountain. The group said they used Google Gemini, YouTube and the AllTrails app to plan the climb.
"We've been too dependent on AI instead of thinking clearly for ourselves," one person told the rangers.
Meyers believes that AI is not the only reason the team is in trouble. They made many mistakes in a row, including moving slower than expected, not bringing enough food and water, and continuing their journey even though it was past the recommended time to return. However, the group also believes that AI contributes to mistakes.
Google did not respond to a request for comment. On the website, the company warns that Gemini may make mistakes and recommends that users double-check their answers.
Meyers said rangers encountered two more cases this summer involving visitors using AI to make plans. A female tourist set up camp right in the area with a "no camping" sign. When reminded by the ranger, she said she followed ChatGPT's instructions.
In another incident, a man was talking to a ranger about the detour he planned to take but could not explain the route clearly. When asked, he produced an AI-generated mountain map. Meyers said that map had many terrains shown in the wrong locations.
OpenAI also warns that ChatGPT can make mistakes and sometimes give confident answers "even when the information is wrong". The company recommends that users only consider ChatGPT as an initial reference and check for important information.
According to Meyers, AI can assist travelers in planning but should not be the only tool, especially in alpine environments where the weather is unpredictable and the terrain is potentially risky.
He advised climbers to use "old-fashioned skills", such as asking for advice from rangers, local people or experienced people, and verifying information from many reputable sources.
"You can do your own research online," he says, but also "do a bit of your own fact-checking and use your critical thinking abilities."
