A group of climbers attempting Mount Shasta in California had to be rescued after relying on Google's Gemini chatbot to plan their route, food and water needs. Gemini told them the climb would take just eight hours and advised packing simple carbohydrates rather than fats, leading them to set out with only a light daypack, no shelter and no warm clothing for what turned out to be a far longer and more dangerous ascent.

The climbers made base camp on 29 August and began their summit push at 3am on 30 August, but the climb took 16 hours, meaning they reached the top at 7pm, well past the recommended midday turnaround time. Descending in darkness, ill-equipped and with their navigation app dead, they became lost and had to call 911; poor weather ruled out a helicopter rescue, and it took Forest Service and sheriff's office rescuers until the following morning to reach them, followed by a nine-hour descent on foot. The climbers later admitted they had "relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking," and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office urged people to contact the Mount Shasta Ranger station directly and never rely solely on AI for trip planning.