Hikers who used AI to plan mountain trip had to be rescued, authorities say

MT. SHASTA, Calif. (KMAX/KOVR) - Authorities say three novice hikers got stranded on California’s Mount Shasta after they relied on artificial intelligence to plan the trip.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office says three young men got stuck on the mountain Sunday during their descent. After reaching the summit at 7 p.m., they decided to hike back down in the dark but got lost. One of them fell and injured his knee, and they became stranded, authorities said.

A sheriff’s office search and rescue team and a U.S. Forest Service Climbing Rangers team rescued the men Monday.

After their rescue, one man told a sheriff’s deputy they had relied heavily on Google’s Gemini, an AI chatbot, for information about the route and for what to pack.

“This was a critical misstep, as they were advised by Gemini to bring far less food and water than their group required, especially when their planned 8-hour ascent became a multi-day ordeal,” said the sheriff’s office in a press release.

Authorities are now reminding people that AI is not always a reliable resource.

“It tends to want to give you favorable information and also make you seem like you’re kind of invincible, and I think that that causes problems, especially when something can be extremely dangerous. AI can be a good tool, but it shouldn’t be used as the expert. Go talk to actual people,” Sheriff Jeremiah Larue said.

Hikers on Mt. Shasta are advised to turn back by noon, even if they haven’t reached the summit, so they still have enough daylight to hike out, the sheriff’s office said. They are also advised to have multiple methods of wayfinding, not solely relying on a smartphone or smartwatch, and to stop and check they’re on the correct route often.