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yesterday

Spanish Influencer's Flight Mix-Up Reveals ChatGPT's Travel-Authorization Gap

Her appearance at a Bad Bunny concert illustrates how Spanish prompts can lead chatbots to omit essential travel authorizations.

In a viral TikTok video, Mery Caldass filmed herself in tears inside an airport as her boyfriend, Alejandro Cid, consoled her.
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Overview

  • Mery Caldass and her partner missed their flight after ChatGPT said no visa was needed but failed to mention the required ESTA authorization.
  • Under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, Spanish citizens must obtain an ESTA to fly to Puerto Rico even though they do not need a formal visa.
  • Caldass’s next-day videos from a Bad Bunny concert indicate she secured the missing ESTA and continued her trip.
  • Follow-up analysis suggests Spanish-language prompting and a narrow interpretation of “visa” led ChatGPT to omit the ESTA requirement.
  • Online commentators faulted the influencers for not verifying travel rules with official sources while others noted the AI’s response was technically correct about formal visas.