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 (Image credit: Shutterstock)With so many ChatGPT plugins catered towards helping users plan and book vacations, I’ve gotten accustomed to using OpenAI’s chatbot and comparable AI tools to help me plan vacations. Relying on AI to build a day-by-day itinerary, finding the best attractions based on my hobbies & interests and coming up with rainy-day alternatives are among the trip-planning activities I’m fine with AI helping me plan. Once I’ve gotten all the best recommendations for my future getaway from AI, I always make sure to do my own research to see if all of the info can be verified before I hop on a plane.I’ll admit to not being the best party planner — I usually let someone else be responsible for that and handle the gift-giving portion of festivities. Lately, I’ve gotten used to tapping into Gemini to help me come up with the best venues, gift recommendations, clever decorations, music playlists and homemade menus to consider when planning a celebratory gathering. Once a BBQ-centric holiday like the Fourth of July, Labor Day or someone’s summer birthday rolls around, I’ll set up some plans with AI, share them with whoever else is part of the planning group and go from there.If you’ve been following my AI writing up until this point, you’ve probably noticed that my 2026 revolves around the word “productivity.” ChatGPT in particular has supplied me with a wealth of personal productivity routines that I’ve used to plan my workdays. AI has risen to the occasion to help me set up a realistic to-do list, break up my work sessions into physical- & mental-amplifying exercises and find the best ways to wind down once the evening hours roll through. AI tools have definitely helped me get more work done, stay healthy and stay sane whenever I’ve used them to produce a productivity regimen.Final thoughtsI always keep this system in place for certain situations when I consider having AI help me set something up: let AI take the lead for low-stakes situations, let AI assist & help me verify certain bits of information for medium-stakes events and let AI assist & rely on more accomplished individuals to give me the answers I need for more high-stakes decisions.I’ll have no issue letting Gemini help me plan a weekend sci-fi movie marathon, but I’ll never ask it to help me get out of a major legal situation. Having an AI hallucination resulting in me being behind bars is something I never want to happen… Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.More from Tom’s GuideI just tried the world’s first AI espresso machine — I'm a coffee snob, and it was surprisingly... good?People are using custom apps and $30 gadgets to hunt for smart glasses that may be filming them—here's howI asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity to rank the 10 jobs most likely to be replaced by AI — here's what they all agreed on Elton Jones covers AI for Tom’s Guide, and tests all the latest models, from ChatGPT to Gemini to Claude to see which tools perform best — and how they can improve everyday productivity.He is also an experienced tech writer who has covered video games, mobile devices, headsets, and now artificial intelligence for over a decade. Since 2011, his work has appeared in publications including The Christian Post, Complex, TechRadar, Heavy, and ONE37pm, with a focus on clear, practical analysis.Today, Elton focuses on making AI more accessible by breaking down complex topics into useful, easy-to-understand insights for a wide range of readers.