Three novice climbers needed rescue from California’s Mount Shasta last week after planning their trip with help from Google’s Gemini AI chatbot, according to a U.S. Forest Service report. One climber told rangers, “We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking.”
\n\nThe San Francisco Chronicle reports that the college students set out Saturday from the Clear Creek Trailhead on the mountain’s southeastern flank, planning to camp partway up and push for the summit early last Sunday. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the Forest Service ended up responding after the group hit trouble on the descent and had to spend a night outside.
\n\nThe Clear Creek route runs 8 miles and climbs 6,500 feet. Once the mountain has melted out, it doesn’t require ice axes or crampons, which makes it one of the easier ways up Shasta. The climbers had researched the trip using YouTube videos and Google’s Gemini AI, asking the chatbot for guidance on their route and how much food and water to bring. For navigation, they planned to rely on the AllTrails phone app.
\n\nThey reached the summit Sunday evening, well past the midafternoon turnaround time rangers recommend. Heading down, they mistook a…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/
