AI Hiking Tip Leaves Suzhou Man Stranded on Hangzhou Mountain

A man from Suzhou in Jiangsu Province was rescued after he followed an AI-recommended hiking route into an undeveloped mountain area in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and became stranded more than 1,300 meters above sea level, according to Dushi Kuaibao.

An emergency rescue team in Hangzhou received an urgent alert on the evening of August 12 that someone was trapped on one of the three peaks of western Zhejiang.

Seven rescue workers, two police officers and three firefighters were sent to the scene.

The man was on Tonggongjian, a mountain about 1,558 meters above sea level and part of the well-known western Zhejiang hiking route.

The area is difficult terrain, much of it undeveloped, with dense woods, thorny undergrowth, intermittent mobile phone signals and low night temperatures that can increase the risk of getting lost or suffering hypothermia.

Rescuers reached the foot of Tonggongjian at 9:40pm. After about 90 minutes of climbing steep mountain paths, they found the man at an altitude of about 1,300 meters.

He had suffered several scrapes on his feet and knees. Team members took turns supporting him as they slowly moved downhill.

After reaching a hickory forest, the group used a small rail cart normally used by local residents to transport hickory nuts to help take him down the mountain. Rescue workers treated and disinfected the man's foot wounds after he reached the foot of the mountain.

The operation lasted until the early hours of the next day.

The report said the man had argued with his wife over minor matters that day and wanted to go out to clear his mind. With no clear destination, he turned to AI for advice.

After asking about his mood, personality, height and physical condition, the AI tool recommended Tonggongjian in Lin'an, Hangzhou, as an outdoor route, the report said.

The man trusted the recommendation and traveled from Suzhou to Lin'an alone. After climbing into the undeveloped area, he slipped and was injured on the steep mountain, then called police while there was still mobile phone signal.

The recommended route was unsuitable for the man, who rarely climbed mountains or took part in outdoor sports, said Shen Xiaobin, executive head of the Lin'an Langxing public emergency rescue team.