Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Generative AI
fortune-telling
user interpretation
cultural practice
digital divination
"Re-Tell the Fortune so I Can Believe It": How Chinese User Communities Engage with and Interpret GenAI-based Fortune-Telling
🤖 AI Summary
This study investigates how Chinese users engage with and interpret generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)–based fortune-telling services, and how such technologies reshape traditional divinatory practices. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 22 users and a three-week digital ethnography analyzing 1,842 community posts, the research uncovers patterns in users’ psychological reliance, motivational drivers, and communal interactions. Findings reveal that while users appreciate GenAI’s efficiency and accessibility, they perceive it as lacking spiritual authenticity. To bridge the gap between algorithmic outputs and their psychological expectations, users employ repeated querying and collective interpretation within online communities, thereby co-constructing a novel human–AI collaborative hermeneutic mechanism. This work offers the first systematic account of how GenAI is reconfiguring China’s traditional divination culture and underscores the pivotal role of community interaction in enhancing result acceptance and providing emotional reassurance.
📝 Abstract
People traditionally divine the future by interpreting natural phenomena as oracular signals, especially in societies adhering to traditional beliefs like China. With the advent of Generative AI (GenAI), people gain access to new ways of probing digital oracles for predicting the future. To understand how people use and interpret GenAI for divination in China, we interviewed 22 participants who habitually use GenAI platforms for fortune-telling, complemented by a three-week digital ethnography with 1,842 community posts. Qualitative analysis showed that people who seek psychological comfort are particularly receptive to GenAI-based decision-making. Users valued GenAI's accessibility, convenience, and efficiency while perceiving its lack of spiritual mystique. We observed community dynamics forming around GenAI tools, where users reinforce interpretations by sharing and discussing with each other, repeating queries until responses align with expectations. Our work uncovers how AI technologies change the way people and communities engage in traditional cultural practices while yearning for the same goals.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Generative AI
fortune-telling
digital ethnography
user community
cultural practice
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