A tsunami warning. Limited information. A scramble to evacuate. In the middle of it all, ChatGPT provided guidance that was clearer and faster than any official alert. This real-world experience changed how I view AI and its role in urgent, high-pressure moments.
As a California native, I’ve been trained to know what to do when an earthquake hits or a wildfire breaks out. But a tsunami warning? That was entirely new to me. In that moment, I wasn’t sure what it meant or how imminent the threat really was.
“You are in danger.” That was the emergency alert that lit up our phones while I was on a family vacation hiking through a forest in Maui this week.
No details. No timing. No explanation. Just:
“TSUNAMI WARNING. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now.”
So what do you do? We ran. Back to our cars. Onto roads already jammed with panicked drivers.
We turned on the radio. We checked online news. But in those early moments, there was little useful information to be found.
That’s when I opened ChatGPT.
It told us that a “warning” was the highest tsunami threat level (not the news we were hoping for) and gave specific instructions including directions to a nearby evacuation shelter. Interestingly, the route it recommended went against the flow of traffic, which definitely gave us pause.
We didn’t follow ChatGPT blindly. We stopped to assess, talked with locals, double-checked Google Maps, and made decisions based on a combination of AI input and human judgment. Ultimately, that got us to safety.
We waited out the warning on a roadside near a high school football field with hundreds of others. The waves were expected at 7:10 p.m. Thankfully, they never came. But we weren’t cleared to return to our hotel until after 11:00 p.m. And again, it was ChatGPT, not any official alert, that first told us it was safe to go back.
This week’s tsunami, triggered by a powerful earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, prompted warnings and evacuations across the Pacific. Fortunately the damage was minimal thanks to early alerts and swift response. And I am certainly walking away with a renewed appreciation for the systems and people that helped prevent harm on a larger scale.
This isn’t my typical LinkedIn post. But as a CMO working at the intersection of technology, communication, and trust, I felt compelled to reflect.
In that moment, ChatGPT wasn’t a productivity tool or marketing aid. It was the clearest, calmest voice available.
A few takeaways:
- 01Urgency without context breeds confusion. Clarity is everything.
- 02Trust is earned when it matters most. Tools and brands that provide meaningful value in high-stakes moments stay with us.
- 03Responsiveness is now expected. Being first isn’t about volume, it’s about relevance.
AI is powerful, but it shouldn’t be the sole, definitive source. Human judgment matters. Verification matters. And having a person in the loop is essential. When used responsibly, AI can be a trusted partner, not a replacement, for how we lead, communicate and serve others.
Grateful for safety. Grateful for the people and platforms that stepped up. And more committed than ever to thoughtful, responsible innovation.
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