"Re-Tell the Fortune so I Can Believe It": How Chinese User Communities Engage with and Interpret GenAI-based Fortune-Telling
Long Ling, Xiyu Zheng, Gengchen Cao, Ray Lc · 2026 · 1 citationsRead the paper
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.
What the full text shows
Tested in real conditions- Users seeking psychological comfort are more receptive to GenAI-based decision-making and often repeat queries until the response aligns with their expectations. (Chinese users of GenAI fortune-telling platforms)
- Users perceive GenAI as more objective and genuine than human fortune-tellers due to a perceived lack of social influence (automation bias). (Comparison between AI and human practitioners)
- GenAI is used for low-stakes daily decisions (e.g., 'lucky food' or clothing) and for post-decision validation to reinforce confidence in high-stakes choices. (Decision-making contexts)
- Users value the accessibility, convenience, and efficiency of GenAI but perceive a lack of spiritual mystique compared to traditional methods. (User perception of GenAI tools)
- Setup
- 22 participants (14 female, 8 male, avg age 27.2) and 1,842 community posts; platforms included ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Cece.
- How
- The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 participants and a three-week digital ethnography analyzing 1,842 community posts from platforms like Cece and WeChat.
- Limitations
- Sample skewed toward young, educated females and design-related majors. · Small number of frequent users (n=6) limiting insights into long-term engagement. · Concentrated platform coverage (primarily ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Cece).
Summarized by Gemma 4 from the open-access full text · 9 Oct 2026. Read it