More young people are using AI tools for divination, but traditional soothsayers aren’t worrying about their future just yet.
By Fan Yiying and Zhou Hanchi
“You are a master Bazi fortune-teller. Here’s my birth info — date, time, gender, birthplace, current city. I am a [Yin-Yang-year male/female]. Tell me when my luck cycle starts, specifically the Da Yun, the 10-year phases said to shape major turns in life.”
With prompts like this one, more Chinese are today turning to artificial intelligence platforms like DeepSeek, ChatGPT and Doubao to learn about their future. But can the technology really replace professional soothsayers?
Interest certainly appears to be booming. On the lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, the hashtag #DeepSeekFortune has been viewed over 35 million times since the start of February, with many users sharing their thoughts on the AI readings they’ve received.
DeepSeek’s response to a prompt template from Xiaohongshu. Template from user @沫沫學姐(ai版) on Xiaohongshu, edited and translated for length and clarity by Sixth Tone
Peng Bohui, an 18-year-old university student in Shanghai, tried it for the first time early this year, using a template prompt provided by a friend. However, he found the initial response was too professional and difficult to understand, filled with obscure terms, so had to tweak his question to make it more “playful.”
“But then the problem was the feedback wasn’t as deep, just simple conclusions rather than detailed analysis and deductive logic — like what will happen in a certain year, or what I should or shouldn’t do in a certain year,” he said.
Ma Litao, who studies at a university in the central Hubei province, had a similar experience, complaining that his reading using DeepSeek lacked logical coherence. “AI fortune-telling often provides only a conclusion, not how that conclusion was reached or the key factors involved,” he said, adding that there were many stories online about people even feeling “anxious and fearful” after receiving their AI analysis.
For tarot reader Li Ziwei, who’s been running her own studio in Shanghai for two years, such experiences come as no surprise. She told Sixth Tone that many of her 800-plus clients have told her about using AI for divination, mostly those aged 20 to 30, with women accounting for about 75%. However, few of those who mentioned it were interested in verifying the accuracy of their AI reading, seeing it more as a novelty.
“Perhaps the fact that they’re still willing to pay for a human to tell their fortune shows that the technology is not yet ready to fulfill their needs,” she said.
Tarot card reader Li Ziwei and an illustration of her. Courtesy of Li Ziwei
The human touch
Divination has deep roots in Chinese culture, stretching as far back as the Neolithic era. Today, two of the most common techniques are tarot, which originated in Europe and sees fortune-tellers base predictions on a set of picture cards, and Bazi, a traditional Chinese metaphysical concept that someone’s fate can be divined by ancient symbols assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour.
Young and old alike use these services, many on a regular basis, to seek guidance on relationships, career, and family issues, and for spiritual or emotional support. According to reports, the high demand has created an industry worth as much as 100 billion yuan ($13.68 billion).
Li, who specializes in tarot reading, explained that there are three dimensions to interpreting a tarot card: literal symbolism, an objective description of its visual elements; social symbolism, incorporating historical and cultural contexts; and personal symbolism, which is the client’s own life experience.
After spending time experimenting with various AI tools, she said that even the best software can grasp only a card’s basic, literal meaning. “A proper interpretation involves social and personal meaning, which is something that AI might not immediately capture,” Li said, adding that the technology lacks the “unpredictable, spontaneous intuition” that makes readings engaging and insightful.
Zhu Guoping, 51, who practices Qimen Dunjia, an ancient Chinese divination system based on cosmic patterns, in Wuhu, in the eastern Anhui province, said that while younger people are turning to AI, his clients — mostly middle-aged professionals struggling in their business or career — still prefer the human touch.
“AI’s fine as an auxiliary tool, but this is one place where AI cannot replace humans right now,” he said. “The real method of resolution is not just a superficial response, but a comprehensive judgment based on years of experience and inheritance.”
In traditional divination culture, the most crucial step after a prediction is to propose ways to attract good fortune or avoid misfortune, an aspect that Zhu says is often based on “secret teachings” passed down orally and not openly available. As AI tools can mine only knowledge in the public domain, he believes they are unable to provide querents with “deep or flexible solutions.”
Late last year, a team of undergraduate students at Shanghai University launched Xingjie, an AI tarot platform pre-trained with a vast amount of data. When developing the software, the group said it was focused on delivering specific, meaningful responses to users’ prompts, rather than the “chicken soup” advice coming from tools like ChatGPT.
One of the developers, Xiong Langjin, conceded that while AI can provide a fresh option for basic-level divination, it’s unlikely to make a real dent in the industry in the foreseeable future. “I don’t think it’ll really affect those medium- or high-level professionals, as their unique, in-depth interpretation skills will help them maintain their edge in the market,” he said.
Screenshots of searches for “AI fortune-telling” (left) and “Prompt template for AI fortune-telling.” The latter one has now been banned. From Xiaohongshu
Trust issues
Yet, insiders say AI is already adjusting the industry landscape.
Zhu believes AI tools serve as an important platform for spreading knowledge and awareness of China’s fortune-telling culture — potentially preventing vulnerable people from falling for scams — while the trend of young people using AI before seeking advice from a genuine master has led to a “mixed consultation model,” which might not be a bad thing.
He said that based on his own experience, about 50% of the responses provided by the AI tools that he’s tried out were “accurate,” pinpointing certain facts and making plausible deductions. He also acknowledged the efficiency of AI compared with manual calculations that require hours of deliberation.
Shanghai medical student Li Xiuyuan, 24, who consults a fortune-teller when he faces obstacles in his research or is struggling emotionally, said he’s now more confident in DeepSeek’s readings than a human’s because they are based on big data. “A traditional diviner may only have read one or two books, but AI can integrate data far beyond personal cognitive range and match it more precisely,” he said. “At the very least, the analysis is more comprehensive and detailed.”
Tarot reader Li Ziwei fears that the growing interest in AI could eventually affect prices. A basic reading today costs 50 to 150 yuan, although the most sought-after masters can charge thousands of yuan per hour. She also warns that AI platforms could be trained to prioritize sponsored products in their responses, leading to skewed or inaccurate interpretations.
Despite these concerns, she maintains an open attitude toward AI, and envisions innovative applications, “such as someone could develop a crystal ball with AI capabilities; when a customer puts their hand on it, the crystal ball will show different images, play music, and display their daily fortune.”
However, like Zhu, she believes that the emotional resonance that comes with human fortune-tellers will not be replaced by AI in the short term. “When facing a real person who smiles and listens attentively, clients are just more likely to accept the advice and think more seriously about the results of divination,” she said.
Additional reporting: Fu Xiaoqing; editor: Hao Qibao.
(Header image: Visuals from Shijue and 500px/VCG, reedited by Sixth Tone)