As more people take part in outdoor recreation, experts warn that relying on AI chatbots for backcountry advice can introduce serious risks. Chatbots may present false information confidently, encourage users to accept guidance without critical thinking, and draw on unreliable or fabricated sources, making independent verification essential.
“Over the past 20 years, there’s been an incredible media push to get more people outdoors, and as a result, more people are doing outdoor recreation,” says Jim Moss, a Colorado-based recreation attorney and search-and-rescue volunteer. It remains unclear, he added, how questionable advice from robots will affect all those people.
The risks of relying on AI outdoors
Seeking guidance from an AI chatbot carries risks of its own. Chris Frasman, a human-centered computing professor at Clemson University in South Carolina who studies AI and search and rescue, said chatbots can produce “hallucinations”—convincingly presented false information—and that using them can lead to a phenomenon known as “cognitive surrender.”
“When humans work with AI systems, they can become so immersed in the AI system that they abandon the ability to think critically for themselves,” he explained. If an AI presents itself as an expert on an unfamiliar subject, “I can’t call BS on that because I don’t have the expertise.” Once critical thinking stops, it can be difficult to resume, particularly in stressful backcountry situations.
Chatbots also tend to tell users what they want to hear and do so authoritatively, regardless of whether the sources they cite are trustworthy, Frasman and his colleagues said. Claude and ChatGPT may sound reliable, but their responses can draw on Reddit threads and old YouTube videos, and some information may be completely fabricated.
TikTok and Instagram may inspire viewers, but AI often provides direction and encouragement, whether warranted or not, Flatman said. “AI is not trying to trick people into climbing mountains, but I think it’s a natural evolution of what happens when you have tools like this.”
How to verify outdoor information
Regardless of which resources they use, recreationists should follow the same basic advice from experts: When visiting a new location, verify information against reliable, authoritative sources. These include the latest maps and websites from public-land agencies, trail association websites and guidebooks. Better still, speak with an actual guide, national forest official or park ranger.
“If you’re going somewhere where you’re going to lose your life, you should take your plans seriously,” Myers said.
Source: www.wired.com
