Sixteen‑year‑old Bryce Vincent Gowryluk planned his Crown Mountain hike with Claude, an AI chatbot from Anthropic. The route took him to the “Widowmaker Arete,” a narrow cliff that needs climbing gear. He got stuck on a five‑foot ledge and called the police. North Shore Rescue tracked his phone, dropped rescuers by helicopter, and winched him to safety. Gowryluk says he will not rely on AI for trail planning again.
Why it matters
It shows that AI route advice can miss real‑world hazards, so hikers still need local knowledge and safety gear.
