Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Vacationers that let AI plan their trip discover many of their destinations don’t actually exist
Not The Bee ^ | October 02, 2025 | Mister Retrops

Posted on 10/02/2025 10:42:30 AM PDT by Red Badger

Imagine paying good money to see a gorgeous geographic marvel in the mountains of Peru, only to get there and find it was an AI hallucination, leaving you stuck in the middle of nowhere at 13,000 feet with no beautiful vista, no oxygen, and no cellphone signal.

According to the BBC, that's exactly what one couple was on their way to do if not for local guide Miguel Angel Gongora Meza, who overheard their enthusiastic plans of hiking into the Andes unaccompanied to see the fabled "Sacred Canyon of Humantay."

‘They [showed] me the screenshot, confidently written and full of vivid adjectives, [but] it was not true. There is no Sacred Canyon of Humantay!' said Gongora Meza. ‘The name is a combination of two places that have no relation to the description. The tourist paid nearly $160 in order to get to a rural road in the environs of Mollepata without a guide or [a destination].

‘This sort of misinformation is perilous in Peru.'

They're not alone.

According to one survey, 30% of travelers use AI tools and AI travel sites to plan their trips.

But it's not just fake places that are a problem when using AI to plan trips and excursions.

Dana Yao and her husband recently used ChatGPT to plan a sunset viewing trip on Mount Misen.

They set off at 15:00 to hike to the mountain's summit in time for sunset, exactly as ChatGPT had instructed them.

‘That's when the problem showed up,' said Yao, a creator who runs a blog about traveling in Japan, ‘[when] we were ready to descend [the mountain via] the ropeway station. ChatGPT said the last ropeway down was at 17:30, but in reality, the ropeway had already closed. So, we were stuck at the mountain top.'

Another couple went to see this scenic cable-car attraction in Malaysia, only to find the place was made by AI. Neither the location or the cable cars are real.

(You can tell if you watch closely as the cars change colors and sometimes go sideways.)

VIDEO AT LINK...............

The couple tried to sue the journalist in the video for misleading them, only to learn that she too was completely AI generated.

If you're going to use AI in your travel plans, just remember the old Russian phrase Ronald Reagan was so fond of using:



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-33 last
To: Red Badger

“Asimov’s ‘Robot’ and ‘Foundation’ novels, also.................”

Daneel Olivaw.


21 posted on 10/02/2025 11:35:54 AM PDT by dljordan (The Rewards of Tolerance are Treachery and Betrayal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Ronaldus Magnus III

“I typed in “global climate change hoax” into several AI. They all come back with “Deniers Refusing to believe the consensus.”

G.I.G.O”

Your “global climate change hoax” was GI. Learn how to write intelligent queries.


22 posted on 10/02/2025 11:36:15 AM PDT by TexasGator (The 750 hp Florida Gnat)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Actually, I think that it’s malicious.


23 posted on 10/02/2025 11:39:19 AM PDT by sjmjax
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dljordan

R. Daneel Olivaw......................


24 posted on 10/02/2025 11:45:53 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Reminds me of the people who went exactly where their GPS told them to, and drove into a lake.

Programs do not have self-awareness or common sense. Ai doesn’t really exist. It is a simulation.

I use Ai a lot -but I know its limitations. I don’t give it a name or à personality. I know it’s a simulation.


25 posted on 10/02/2025 11:48:22 AM PDT by I want the USA back (America is once again GREAT! Blue Lives Matter! White lives matter. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ronaldus Magnus III

The Myth Of Artificial Intelligence is good, its primary point being that big data doesn’t lead to general artificial intelligence. You need deductive, inductive and abductive reasoning, and not enough work is being done on abductive reasoning with big data.

But when you read it, note when it was published. There have been breakthroughs since (it is somewhat dated, 2021 LOL!).


26 posted on 10/02/2025 11:50:07 AM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: struggle
Yeah, I was playing around with ChatGPT just to see how effective it was in synthesizing and collecting information several years ago, so I think I asked it the 10 ten places to eat in Cody, Wyoming. Only the first restaurant was in Cody.

It is overhyped, but has gotten a lot better since you asked about Cody. (Great town!)

I have made several posts showing the limitations and errors of current AI sites. I am seeing it improve continuously. Personally, I stopped using ChatGPT and go with Perplexity or Grok. Grok was especially useful when I could take a picture of a SAS or QSFP cable, and it would do a creditable job of giving me specs on it.

For somethings, it is really good, especially things that could be done with regular Google, but only after numerous searches with manual trimming of results.
27 posted on 10/02/2025 12:09:02 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

That photo at the beginning looks like a live action version of “Oregon Trail”.


28 posted on 10/02/2025 12:09:41 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Sivana

Well, they do believe in Unicorns in Oregon,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


29 posted on 10/02/2025 12:13:47 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Sivana

Well, they do believe in Unicorns in Oregon,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


30 posted on 10/02/2025 12:13:47 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: EnderWiggin1970

If Grand Fenwick doesn’t work out, you could always vacation in Brigadoon ...


31 posted on 10/02/2025 12:33:19 PM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

People actually tried to book flights to Wakanda?
Fascinating.


32 posted on 10/02/2025 2:41:50 PM PDT by Zathras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zathras

Kinda tells you something.................


33 posted on 10/03/2025 5:35:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-33 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson