Using AI to Plan Backcountry Trips Is Getting People Into Big Trouble
This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. By the time the three hikers called for help from a rocky face on Mount Shasta in Northern California, they’d made a series of bad decisions. They didn’t bring enough food, and they’d overestimated their fitness. Instead of […]
Three hikers on Mount Shasta in Northern California found themselves in trouble after relying on Google's AI chatbot Gemini for planning their backcountry trip. They neglected to bring sufficient food, overestimated their fitness levels, and summit at 7:30 p.m., forcing them to descend in the dark. The hikers later admitted that their lack of preparation and poor planning contributed to their predicament.
Nick Meyers, a program manager at the Mount Shasta Wilderness Climbing and Avalanche Center, noted that the hikers had tried to do the right thing, but ultimately, they had "turned their brains off."
Chatbots, while providing seemingly credible advice, often rely on information from Reddit threads, outdated YouTube videos, or even fabricated sources. This can lead to misguided decisions in remote wilderness areas. In another incident, a hiker pitched her tent near a "No Camping" sign, convinced that her AI-generated map had permitted her to do so. Additionally, a man was found wandering around a trailhead with an AI-generated map that showed significant features on the wrong side of a nearby mountain.
The use of AI for travel planning has been on the rise. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming reported a significant increase in visitors who use AI for travel information, from zero to 26 percent in just one year. While it remains unclear whether the increased usage of AI will lead to a rise in backcountry accidents and search and rescue operations, experts have long warned of the potential dangers.
Recreational attorneys and search and rescue volunteers suggest that turning to AI chatbots for guidance carries unique risks, including the potential for "hallucinations" (presenting false information as fact) and "cognitive surrender" (relying too heavily on the AI and losing critical thinking skills). Experts recommend consulting reliable sources such as updated public-land agency maps, trail association websites, guidebooks, or even speaking to experts like national forest officials or park rangers before embarking on a backcountry trip.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
