Google Gemini Error Leads to Mount Shasta Rescue

Three inexperienced climbers had to be rescued from Mount Shasta in California after Google Gemini gave them inaccurate information about the difficulty and timing of their ascent, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office.

Gemini reportedly told the group to expect an eight-hour trip to the peak and recommended simple carbohydrates instead of fats because fats “take too long to digest.” The hikers left at 3am expecting to reach the summit by 11am, but did not arrive until 7pm. More than 16 hours into the trip, one climber suffered a serious knee injury.

During the descent, the group went off route into Mud Creek Canyon in the dark and called for help. One climber had AllTrails on a phone, but the device ran out of power. The trio spent the night in a makeshift camp before being recovered the next morning by personnel from the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, rescue volunteers, and US Forest Service climbing rangers.

The climbers later told rangers, “We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking.” The Sheriff's Office said travelers should contact the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station for current information and highlighted the 12pm turnaround time for ascents.