I write about AI for a living and these are 3 things I'd never let it plan for me (and 3 I would)

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

There are always those instances where I come across the kind of stories that remind me that AI shouldn’t be the final decision for a lot of things.Imagine my shock and awe when I came across a report about three inexperienced hikers heavily relying on Gemini’s advice about trekking up Mount Shasta in California and needing to be saved because of it. Google’s AI assistant advised the trio to bring way less food and water than they actually needed, which turned their eight-hour expedition into a multi-day excursion that led to more suffering than celebrating.Reading that terrifying piece of news reminded me of something my AI-savvy friend told me when I first started diving into everything ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity have to offer: “You can use it to help you plan things here and there, but you should always rely on your own intelligence and savvy to make the final decision on what to do.”With that in mind, here are the three sorts of events I’ll never completely rely on to plan and three events I’ll never have any issue letting AI assist me with planning.3 events I’d never let AI arrange for me

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Right from the bat, I know that I’d never let AI completely plan any sort of outdoor experience that could lead me into a situation where I could be fighting for my survival.AI is great for helping me research the sort of questions I should ask park service rangers and experienced professional hiking guides, plus the AllTrails plugin for ChatGPT is great for getting endorsements for the best verified trails. But I’ll never solely use AI to be the authority for wilderness treks, including mountain climbs, camping, river crossings and other weather-dependent expeditions. I’ll rely on human assistance when I’m looking to be as careful as possible when I want to head outside for some risky adventures.When it comes to my physical well-being, I never revert to AI to get the final answer on what to do in certain situations. ChatGPT Health exists to let users utilize their health information with the chatbot to get a better grasp of their overall wellness by asking questions. That’s fine and all, but I’d never tap into ChatGPT and comparable AI tools to get the final word on finding out what I should do from a medical standpoint. I may ask AI to give me the sort of questions I should present to a medical professional or explain complex terminology, but I’ll never ask it to tell me to decide what surgery I should get for a certain injury, for example.Sign up to the Tom's AI Guide weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editors and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!As for major financial decisions, that’s something else I’d never rely on AI to help me plan. The fear of believing a chatbot’s financial advice that’s nothing more than a hallucination that results in me losing tons of money scares me half to death. Blindly following AI’s advice about buying a home, starting a business, investing, etc. just isn’t the way to go — asking questions about the pros and cons of those financial decisions is fine, but using AI as the end-all, be-all for future monetary choices just isn’t the way to go. I’m totally okay with asking AI to give me the sort of questions I should consider before making such a massive economic decision, though.3 activities I'd always use AI to help plan for me