Here’s a word of warning to anyone who might be putting a liiiittle too much faith in AI: Always do your own research — especially if there might be expensive consequences.
On Aug. 13, a Spanish content creator called Mery Caldass posted a video on TikTok of her sobbing in an airport after missing her flight to Puerto Rico. She wasn’t able to make the journey due to the fact that she didn’t prepare the right paperwork, which, she says, is the fault of ChatGPT — an AI assistant used by 500 million people every week.
“I asked ChatGPT and he said no,” she says in Spanish, as she recalls asking the AI tool if she would need a visa to fly to Puerto Rico.
Realizing her error, Caldass says through tears: “That’s what I get for not getting more information…I don’t trust that one anymore.” Referring to ChatGPT, she also suggests that the information mix-up might have been “his revenge” for when she had previously insulted the bot.
Since the clip was posted, it’s gained attention across TikTok and other social media sites. On Reddit, users discussing the video reflected on the recent surge in the use of AI assistants and expressed disbelief that people are relying solely on ChatGPT for things like travel advice.
Of course, it’s worth noting that ChatGPT can be helpful for some people, particularly for things like making lists or helping with phrasing. (In July, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said the tool now “thinks and acts” after a new update.) However, most people agree that it’s still pretty important to research things yourself, too.
So, what do you make of this? I personally can’t think of anything worse than relying on ChatGPT to give me the information I need about flying across the world, but that’s just me.