Hikers’ AI-Planned Mountain Climb Goes Horribly Wrong
Three men trusted Google Gemini to plot their climb, only to discover its eight-hour itinerary was more fantasy than forecast.
USFS – Shasta Trinity
A mountain adventure planned with artificial intelligence ended with a rescue after three hikers found themselves stranded. The college students told the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department they relied on Google Gemini to map their route and decide what supplies they needed. But the AI-assisted plan badly underestimated the challenge that Mount Shasta in California posed. Expecting the ascent to take about eight hours, the men didn’t bring enough food, water, or emergency equipment, with the climb ultimately taking twice as long. Their problems worsened on the descent when they became disoriented and lost their way. One hiker also suffered a knee injury, leaving the group unable to continue safely without help. Rescuers were eventually called in and brought all three red-faced men off the mountain.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.