Three inexperienced young people became stranded on Mount Shasta, California, after following incorrect recommendations provided by Gemini

Three young people from Northern California with no mountaineering experience became stranded on Mount Shasta after using the Gemini chatbot to plan their ascent. They asked for information about the route, equipment, supplies and duration of the climb, but the recommendations they received did not reflect the route’s actual difficulty.

The group set up base camp at approximately 2,600 meters and set out for the summit at 3:00 a.m. with daypacks. The young people reached an altitude of more than 4,200 meters only around 7:00 p.m., well past the recommended time to begin the descent.

In the dark, they sought directions from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, but strayed from the main route and entered a canyon. One of them fell on a steep section and injured his knee, forcing the group to spend the night outdoors. The next day, Forest Service rangers found them, and volunteer mountain rescuers helped them descend.

Authorities said Gemini had reportedly recommended insufficient amounts of water and food and estimated the ascent would take eight hours. The AllTrails app classifies the route as difficult and warns of technical terrain, snow, poor network coverage and the need for special equipment such as crampons and an ice axe. The case has renewed attention on the limitations of using artificial intelligence to plan mountain activities.—