In this day and age we wonder how often this is going to happen.
An AI-generated article on a travel booking site has sent tourists to a remote part of north-east Tasmania in search of hot springs that do not exist.
Australian Tours and Cruises has admitted that the AI technology it uses to produce content and articles promoting bookings has "completely messed up".
The Tasmania Tours website describes Weldborough Hot Springs as offering a "peaceful escape" and an "authentic connection to nature".
The so-called "secluded forest retreat" even appears in the list of the "7 Best Hot Springs Tasmania Experiences for 2026". According to the site, walkers are greeted by pools "rich in therapeutic minerals".
With no directions provided, visitors have instead arrived at the nearby Weldborough Hotel — around a two-hour drive north-east of Launceston — asking how to find the idyllic pools.
According to the ABC the issue is, the hot springs shown in the images simply do not exist.
The location is listed alongside real attractions such as Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs in southern Tasmania, but also alongside questionable entries like freezing Liaweenee and remote Savage River.
Many other articles on the Tasmania Tours site, including "12 Unmissable Things to Do in Hobart for 2026", also appear AI-generated, featuring photos claimed to be Tasmanian locations.
Scott Hennessy, owner of Australian Tours and Cruises, said: "Our AI has messed up completely."
Read the full story here.