A group of hikers who admitted to using Google Gemini to plan their hike up California’s Mount Shasta, had to be rescued by local rangers and volunteers after becoming seriously lost.
Dramatically underprepared for the conditions, the three “novice hikers” are another warning that AI cannot be trusted to give reliable and entirely safe information. While all three were rescued safely, the next time may not end so well.
Hikers supposedly used Google Gemini to plan their trip
Didn’t bring enough food and water, and didn’t listen to the rules
Three would-be hikers were rescued from Mount Shasta after becoming lost and spending the night on the 14,179-foot (4,322-meter) Californian mountain (via Android Authority).
The three men from Roseville, California, set out for their hike at 3am on Sunday, August 30, starting from a basecamp around 8,400 feet. Despite the recommendations being to turn back if you have not reached the peak by noon, the three pressed on until reaching the peak at 7pm. As most hikers would know, that then leads to a hike back down the mountain in the dark, a much more dangerous proposition.
It’s of no surprise then, that they ended up off course, and eventually had to shelter for the night in a steep drainage, one of whom with an injured knee.
The trio were rescued in the morning by a combination of rangers and search-and-rescue volunteers, and thankfully the story ended there without any further escalation.
It’s a situation that any inexperienced hiker could end up in, but the local sheriff’s office’s statement on the matter makes it clear the three men were not remotely prepared for the hike. According to the sheriff’s office, the three had used
to plan their trip, and the AI had advised the three of them to pack nowhere near enough food and water for the trip — especially once the trip went awry.
The statement also included a reminder that hikers should always have “multiple methods of wayfinding”, including offline methods that don’t involve relying on smartphones — implying the three men were doing just that.
It’s a situation that could have gone much worse. Mount Shasta is the fifth-highest peak in California, and doesn’t require technical climbing skill to reach the peak. However, all mountain and hill hikes should be approached with caution, and should plan for unforeseen circumstances. You certainly shouldn’t be relying on AI to plan for you.
While this one ended fairly happily, we can be sure this won’t be the last ill-advised AI-led adventure we’ll see. Please don’t use AI as your only resource for anything, never mind outdoor adventures.
