Google Gemini error leaves California climbers stranded — Mount Shasta climbers admit ‘we relied too much on AI’ after ascent went horribly wrong
- Gemini AI gave three hikers bad advice about a mountain ascent
- The trip took much longer than Gemini had said
- US officials and volunteers eventually rescued the stranded group
A cautionary tale from California if you often find yourself using AI bots to plan your outdoor adventures: a gang of climbers had to be rescued from Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County after Google Gemini gave them inaccurate information about the scale of the challenge ahead of them.
As reported by the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office (via Engadget), Google‘s AI breezily told the three inexperienced hikers that they should prepare for an eight-hour trip to the peak, and to pack simple carbohydrates instead of fats because fats “take too long to digest”.
More than 16 hours and a serious knee injury later, off course on their return trip and in the dark, the group was no doubt regretting the decision to seek advice from a disembodied AI rather than a human being that had actually been up Mount Shasta.
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Thankfully, the hikers were recovered the next morning by a team made up of staff from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, rescue volunteers, and the US Forest Service climbing rangers. The unlucky trio did have to spend a night in a makeshift camp in the Mud Creek Canyon part of the mountain, however.
A lesson learned
“It is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of your trip to ensure you have the most accurate information, and to never rely solely on AI for your trip planning,” read a statement from the Sheriff’s Office, which also emphasized the importance of the 12pm turnaround time for those attempting an ascent.
The hikers had set off at 3am expecting to reach the peak by 11am, but they didn’t actually make it all the way up until 7pm. On the descent in the dark, they went off-route into the canyon, with one group member sustaining an injury, and called for help.
While one hiker did have AllTrails on their phone, that device died on the trip. “We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking,” the climbers told rangers after the ordeal, as reported by SFGate.
As useful as AI can undoubtedly be when searching the web for information, bots like Gemini have never been up mountains, treated injuries, managed finances, or changed electrical wiring. For any important queries, you should always double-check linked sources and other references to verify the information you’re getting back.
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