Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A Spanish influencer couple’s dream trip to Puerto Rico descended into chaos after they blindly trusted ChatGPT for travel advice – and ended up stranded at the airport.
Viral TikTok Mery Caldass, who has over 6.1 millions views on the clip, is seen weeping while Alejandro Cid, her partner, tries to comfort her.
Caldass wept, when asked if they required a visa. “I always research, but I enquired ChatGPT and it said No,” Caldass pleaded. “I don’t trust it anymore.”
READ MORE
It is true that Spanish citizens don’t need a visa for Puerto Rico, but they do need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ESTA) – a tiny but crucial detail the AI apparently forgot. The result? The result? Stranded travel influencers, online mockery and a strong warning not to rely on robots when planning real-world vacations.
TikTok users were ruthless. One user wrote, “Natural Selection, I guess.” “If you’re going on a transoceanic journey and you only rely on ChatGPT for directions, you’ll get what you earn.” Other people noted that the couple’s question may have been phrased incorrectly, but the message was clear: AI does not replace official sources.
Adding insult to injury, Caldass joked the AI might be exacting revenge for her past insults: “Sometimes I call it useless – maybe this was payback.”
This is not an isolated incident. A 60-year-old American was hospitalised for three weeks after ChatGPT told him to swap table salt for sodium bromide – a toxic chemical. Doctors confirmed AI still recommends sodium bromide without warning.
Experts warn that “AI is only reliable as the data on which it’s been trained,” said Dr Elena Torres of NYU, a digital ethics researcher. Blind trust has real-life consequences.
Despite the fiasco, Caldass and Cid eventually made it to Puerto Rico in time for a Bad Bunny concert – but one thing’s for sure: ChatGPT will never get their travel trust again.
The Olive Press Travel News is available here.
Find Tailor Made Travel
Simply Holiday Bookings allows you to create your own personalized holiday experience.
