Key Takeaways
- Many people now treat AI as a modern oracle, seeking guidance for personal and relational dilemmas, much like they once turned to psychics, astrology, or tarot.
- A 2025 Pew Research survey found that nearly one‑in‑three Americans consult tarot, astrology, or similar tools at least yearly, a trend driven largely by Gen Z and social media.
- Contemporary tarot practitioners are increasingly delegating card interpretation to AI, using it to bypass the frustration of ambiguous readings and to obtain quick, seemingly definitive answers.
- At the same time, some readers employ AI as a critical partner—generating alternative perspectives to challenge their own biases, test assumptions, and explore “objective” readings that feel free of personal motive.
- Interviewees described treating AI‑generated hallucinations as meaningful, akin to drawing a random card, because the unexpected output can feel like a secret message.
- Research shows up to 87 % of generative‑AI users employ the technology for personal applications such as relationship advice and mental‑health support, raising concerns about emotional dependence and the substitution of human relationships with chatbots.
- Professionals ranging from lawyers to therapists—and even religious figures—are experimenting with AI in their work, prompting warnings (e.g., Pope Leo XIV urging priests to resist AI‑written sermons).
- The study suggests an alternative future for AI: a tool that stimulates self‑reflection and keeps users actively engaged in meaning‑making, rather than a source that simply hands over answers.
AI as a Modern Oracle
People have long looked beyond themselves for answers, and today many turn to artificial intelligence for that same purpose. As the article notes, “AI has become a modern oracle – a source of guidance, emotional support or clarity in moments of uncertainty.” This mirrors historic recourse to psychics, astrology charts, or tarot cards, but the speed and accessibility of AI make it a uniquely pervasive counsellor in everyday life.
Historical Roots of Tarot
Tarot’s journey from game to mystical tool provides essential context for its current resurgence. Originating as a popular card game in the Italian Renaissance, the deck gradually accumulated layers of symbolism from Kabbalah, Egyptology, numerology, and other esoteric traditions. The early‑20th‑century Rider‑Waite‑Smith deck cemented the standard 78‑card set that most readers use today, enabling practitioners to sit with questions ranging from personal relationships to geopolitical events.
The Mainstreaming of Occult Practices
Occult interests have moved from fringe to mainstream, a shift quantified by recent polling. According to a 2025 Pew Research survey, “nearly 1 in 3 Americans consult tools such as tarot or astrology at least once a year,” a figure largely propelled by Generation Z and amplified through social‑media platforms. This cultural openness creates fertile ground for the intersection of ancient divinatory practices with cutting‑edge AI technology.
How Tarot Readers Are Using AI
In the study of twelve tarot practitioners, researchers found a clear split in how AI is incorporated. Many readers turn to AI for explicit guidance, seeking to sidestep the mental labor of weaving multiple cards into a coherent narrative. One interviewee described drawing the Fool and the Ten of Wands for a career‑change question and then asking the AI, “What does this mean?” rather than wrestling with the inherent ambiguity. As the article puts it, “Rather than sit with that ambiguity, some readers simply ask the AI for the meaning of the reading.”
AI as a Tool for Critical Engagement
Conversely, several practitioners leverage AI not to replace their judgment but to challenge it. By requesting alternative interpretations, they expose blind spots and test the robustness of their own readings. Some even ask for an “objective” reading, valuing AI’s apparent lack of personal stake. The study notes that participants “used AI to generate alternative perspectives so they could compare the different interpretations and see which resonated more.” Intriguingly, a few treated AI hallucinations—random, unintended outputs—as meaningful, likening them to the serendipitous pull of a tarot card that feels like a secret message.
Broader Trends in AI‑Mediated Advice
The reliance on AI for personal counsel extends well beyond tarot. Research cited in the article reveals that “up to 87% of generative AI users are consulting the technology for ‘personal applications,’ which includes advice and emotional support for relationship conflicts and mental‑health struggles.” While such interactions can be genuinely helpful, they also pose risks: users may become emotionally dependent on chatbots, substituting them for friends, family, or professional counselors, and in extreme cases, the technology has been linked to delusional beliefs or self‑harm.
Professional Adoption and Cautionary Notes
The permeation of AI into advisory roles is not limited to laypeople. Lawyers, therapists, and even clergy are experimenting with AI‑generated content, prompting warnings from religious authorities. Pope Leo XIV, for example, “urged priests to resist the temptation to use AI to write sermons,” highlighting concerns about authenticity and the potential erosion of human‑crafted guidance. These developments underscore the need for thoughtful boundaries around AI’s role in fields that traditionally rely on deep interpersonal insight.
Toward a Reflective AI Future
The study’s authors propose a vision in which AI serves as a catalyst for self‑reflection rather than a replacement for it. By using AI to explicitly question one’s biases and assumptions—as some tarot readers did—users remain actively engaged in the meaning‑making process. As the article concludes, “We think it’s important to make sure the technology isn’t seen as an all-knowing source of truth. It can certainly open up users to new ideas, but it should be a tool to enhance self-reflection, rather than one that serves as a substitute for it.” This balanced approach could harness AI’s strengths while mitigating the dangers of over‑reliance, ensuring that the technology augments, rather than eclipses, human judgment.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/more-tarot-readers-are-turning-to-ai-for-advice-another-sign-of-our-growing-reliance-on-chatbots-for-emotional-support