Interpretive Cultures: Resonance, randomness, and negotiated meaning for AI-assisted tarot divination

Paper Title

Interpretive Cultures: Resonance, randomness, and negotiated meaning for AI-assisted tarot divination

Publication Info

• Topic area: AI-assisted interpretive practices in divination
• Keywords: AI-assisted tarot, divination, resonance theory, interpretive cultures, randomness, meaning-making, generative AI, Hartmut Rosa, user agency, symbolic systems

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: The role of AI in interpretive practices, particularly in contexts defined by ambiguity, symbolism, and intentional randomness, remains understudied and poorly understood.
• Significance: Understanding AI's role in interpretive practices like tarot divination can inform the design of systems that support subjective meaning-making without compromising ambiguity or user agency.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work has explored AI in creative and analytical tasks but has largely focused on domains with stable ground truth or shared interpretive norms. Divination, as a non-causal interpretive practice, presents a unique challenge due to its reliance on randomness and subjective intentionality. This paper builds on Hartmut Rosa’s Theory of Resonance to investigate AI's impact on divinatory practices.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Application of Hartmut Rosa’s Theory of Resonance to understand AI-assisted tarot divination and its implications for interpretive meaning-making.
• Novelty:
  1. A novel interdisciplinary approach combining cultural studies and Resonance Theory to theorize interpretive meaning-making.
  2. Empirical insights into how tarot practitioners negotiate meaning with AI systems, identifying emerging interpretive cultures.
  3. Design recommendations for AI systems supporting symbolic and non-causal interpretive practices.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with tarot practitioners using AI in their divination practices.
  • Applied thematic analysis informed by grounded theory to identify patterns in interpretive workflows and connect findings to Resonance Theory.
  • Explored the axes of resonance (internal, horizontal, diagonal, vertical) to analyze how AI shapes meaning-making.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • AI empowers users to navigate self-doubt and ambiguity, offering reassurance and alternative perspectives.
  • AI supports interpretive labor by streamlining the divination process, providing alternative viewpoints, and enabling new rituals of randomness.
  • Concerns about AI's impact on intuitive skills and sycophantic tendencies were prevalent among experienced practitioners.
• Advantage over baselines: AI introduces new interpretive possibilities, allowing users to access alternative perspectives and refine their interpretations, but risks homogenization and over-reliance.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Participants included 12 tarot practitioners from North America with varying levels of expertise.
  • Interviews lasted approximately 60 minutes and were analyzed through iterative thematic coding.
  • Findings were connected to Resonance Theory to articulate how AI impacts the axes of resonance in divination.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Small sample size and geographic limitations restrict generalizability.
  • Recruitment challenges due to stigma around AI and tarot practices.
  • Future work should explore broader cultural contexts, anonymous recruitment methods, and mainstream applications of AI for meaning-making.

Summary

This study investigates how AI systems like ChatGPT are integrated into tarot divination, a non-causal interpretive practice. Drawing on Hartmut Rosa’s Theory of Resonance, the authors identify how AI supports self-reflection, alternative perspectives, and ritualized randomness while raising concerns about intuitive skill deterioration and sycophantic tendencies. Empirical findings from interviews with 12 tarot practitioners reveal emerging interpretive cultures and inform design recommendations for AI systems that preserve ambiguity and user agency. This work contributes to understanding AI's role in subjective meaning-making and opens pathways for designing systems that foster resonance rather than closure.