Beyond the Shuffle: Tarot, Life & Everything In Between

AI and Tarot

• Adrienne Amari • Season 1 • Episode 21

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When it comes to Tarot and spirituality, how do you feel about AI?

AI and tarot - what are the implications? In this episode, I talk about the three biggest ways AI tends to show up in the tarot world:

  • For learning tarot
  • To get a tarot reading
  • Creation of tarot decks

Plus, I pull some cards from the awesome Sci-Fi Tarot by Todd Alcott to see what we, as a society, needs to know about AI as we move forward.

For a photo of the cards pulled, check out: https://adrienneamari.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_7872.jpeg


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SPEAKER_00

When it comes to Tarot and spirituality, how do you feel about AI? Hi there, and welcome to Beyond the Shuffle, a podcast where we explore this wild ride of the human experience through the lens of Tarot. I'm Adrienne Amari, your host, guide, and someone who is always polite to the AI robots just in case. So settle in, open your mind, and let's go beyond the shuffle. So before we dive into today's episode, I wanted to follow up with a question I asked last week of the cards, which was about will my voice return to normal for this week's episode. I pulled the sun, which I read as yes by Monday because that was the first sunny day on the weather app. And yep, I'm pretty much back to normal. So I guess that worked out just fine. Last week on Beyond the Shuffle, we talked about whether or not Tarot can actually predict the future. So go check that episode out if you haven't listened already. But today I want to focus on another hot topic in the tarot world, and that is AI and Tarot. In a lot of the Facebook communities I'm in with newer tarot readers, I often see people asking if Chat GPT or whatever AI chatbot you like to use gives valid tarot readings. Now I'm going to answer that question in a minute, but I want to talk about why I'm talking about this today. It's actually not something I planned to make an episode on or that I ever really thought talking about. But last night during a reading, my client and friend she asked about AI and the future of her job. And then this morning I was talking to another friend about tarot and AI and the writing industry with that. So I thought, you know what, this keeps coming up for a reason. Let's talk about it. Now I think AI has impacted the tarot world in three different ways. One is for learning tarot, two is for getting tarot readings, and three is for tarot deck creation. Now, when it comes to learning tarot, AI can actually be a somewhat helpful tool, as long as you don't think that that is the complete meaning of the card or the entire nuance of the card or the card combination. But AI is good at scouring the internet for information, so if you're looking for keywords or information about a symbol, it can help connect you to that. Very much like a dictionary, you can put in a card. Let's say you're like, okay, what does the Ten of Swords mean? And an AI chatbot can return a list of keywords. Is it going to be an extensive list that you're going to 100% connect with? Probably not. But if you're learning tarot, I don't think that's a horrible thing to have. Do I think that it's a good replacement for learning through a good tarot book or through a teacher? Not really. But I think it can be used to supplement your learning. As long as you take what the AI returns with a grain of salt, because we know it's not always perfect. And it is taking a bunch of different meanings from a bunch of different sources and amalgamating them. So it might be really accurate, but it also might be misconstrued. So that's just something to be aware of. We always need to use it with discernment. Another thing AI can be really helpful for in terms of learning tarot or even just your normal tarot practice is thinking up questions to ask. If you're feeling stuck or bored or you want something kind of different to ask, you could just ask it to spit out a bunch of fun questions and see what pulls you in or what resonates with you to use. But the caveat there, of course, is that you are doing the reading. You are putting the pieces together. Which leads very well into can AI give us good tarot readings? And I have a bit of a story about this. It's actually a really interesting experience. So I did tarot readings at a bachelorette party. And I think there were maybe five to seven girls there, and we were doing one-on-one readings as the other girls were painting or doing some kind of crafty activity. So I had one girl go, she did her reading, she took a picture, she seemed very happy with it, it seemed to resonate. And I don't know if she heard me, but I guess after her reading, she went to Chat GPT, put the cards into the chat bot without the positions or without the spread, just the cards and their meanings. And I don't remember how it was worded, but she basically was explaining to her friends that I'm right on, I'm really good, I know what I'm talking about, because ChatGPT returned some of the same keywords that I had mentioned. And I've never had an experience like that, so I didn't really know how to react. Like, what do you say? Thank you that the AI overlords agree with the keywords or some of the meanings that I said after studying this craft for 10, 11 years? Like, is it supposed to be flattering? Is it supposed to be a compliment? And she said the reading resonated, so my next thought was, well, why are we running to AI to check if the reading made sense to you? And I'm wondering if part of this checking was, well, it made sense what she said, but is she just saying things that she thinks I want to hear and not what came up in the cards? Like that is the only logical or reasonable answer that I can personally come up with. But if you have something else, reach out and let me know. To be honest with you, and especially upon reflecting on it now, I think I really kind of felt imposter syndrome bubble up, or I felt like a fraud where if ChatGPT can say the same thing I can say, then what am I actually doing? Do I not offer any value? And let's be real, I know that ChatGPT can't say the same thing that I would say because when a human does a tarot reading, there is nuance. An AI chatbot can look through tons of data, pull out information, make connections that already exist, but it doesn't have intuition and it doesn't have soul. So, yes, you can get a surface-level tarot reading from AI. Is it going to be accurate to you, your energy, and your situation? Maybe. But could a person go so much deeper and get so much more for you? 100%. When you talk to a chat bot, their goal is to affirm you. It's to affirm what you're experiencing. And unless you tell it to do otherwise, it's going to be your biggest cheerleader in the best and worst of ways. It can help you give in to delusion, whereas a real person, a good, authentic, honest tarot reader isn't going to let you do that. AI isn't going to ask meaningful, powerful, thoughtful questions that you can take with you and reflect upon. You're not going to have those moments where you say, Oh my gosh, my friend said the exact same thing to me, or I was literally just talking about this in the car. So it might be able to piece together a surface-level, very logic-based reading. But if you want connection, if you want to actually be seen and heard, and you want guidance and insight that is soulful and meaningful and intuitive for who you are and how your energy is reading, it needs to come from a real human connection or from within you. Because let's be real, a tarot reading is more than just pulling cards and getting a few answers. It's about feeling seen. It's about being able to share and talk about and open up with whatever is bothering you. And I get a lot of clients who are like, I don't really know how to ask this question or phrase this question. And it's okay. You can talk about it. Tell me what's going on, and we'll pull cards on that. AI can't do that. AI doesn't have ethics and morality built into it. It doesn't have a code of conduct on how to deal with the human condition. Where a reader might say, you know, you really should speak to a professional about this. I know AI has gotten better to do that in terms of mental things, but there are so many areas of life that people seek readings on that I just don't think AI has the capability to deal with it in a very human way. And at the end of the day, there really is no replacement for human connection or for the connection that we have with our pets and animals and nature. As much as I love technology, I'm not saying I love AI, but as much as I love technology in general, it's a machine, it's an algorithm. And this even goes back to social media algorithms where you know how you see those things pop up on your feed where it's like, if you're seeing this, it's meant for you. Or this has no hashtags, so if you're seeing this on your feed, it must be for you. And I'm sorry, but no, that message isn't meant for you in the way that we're taking those words. That is the algorithm saying, hey, so-and-so likes this content. They've interacted with this content before. They hard it, they save it, they share it, they click the little more button to read the captions, they stay on it and they watch it all the way through to the end. Let's show them more of this because that keeps them on the app. Now, am I saying any message on social media is completely BS and not meant for anyone? No, I'm not saying that. But I am saying it's really important to use discernment. It's important to take what at your gut, soul, intuitive level actually resonates. And if you're in a place of vulnerability or despair, maybe we don't engage with that content. And if we do, take it lightheartedly and not as the gospel truth. And that goes for social media or just a reading in general. And I think that's where I get maybe nervous about AI and tarot readings, where people are going to run to a chat bot, ask for a tarot reading when they're not in a great state. When you're talking to a person, a real tarot reader, they can gauge that. And I'm not saying they have to sugarcoat or lie because that's not helpful either, but they can decide and determine the best way to deliver the message. Where AI can't because it doesn't have that energetic, intuitive nuance. And I think one thing that's really important to remember is even though AI has all this data, all this input, it's not human and it hasn't had your experiences. It hasn't had similar experiences either. It's just taking the words of others who have. And while I think that can be comforting to people at times, I think it's also incredibly misleading. Because there isn't a connection there. There isn't love there, there isn't a shared experience there. And maybe part of the reason people turn to AI is because humans feel judgmental. Maybe they're worried about being criticized. But for most people in this line of work, and I guess I'm speaking for myself, but I know many other tarot readers who feel the same. I'm not here to judge you. I don't want to say that I don't care what you come to me with because I care about you, but I really don't care what the question is. And a lot of people who come, at least to me for tarot readings, want more. They want better in their life. They want to feel hope. They want to make better choices. And I think anytime we're doing that work for ourselves, I want to support you and help you through it. I'm not here to judge you for that. None of us have lived the same life or the same existence, so we can't speak about where anyone else is coming from. So an ethical, honest tarot reader, they're not going to give you false hope. They're not going to sugarcoat things for you. They will deliver a message in a way that feels honest and authentic and right, but still caring. Whereas AI is going to pander to what it thinks you want to hear. Because again, unless you program it otherwise, it tries to live in the affirmative. I remember a Facebook post where someone was learning tarot, not even really learning it, because they were just pulling cards and putting it into the chatbot, but they had pulled cards on a crush, someone that they had feelings for who hadn't reciprocated. And the AI reading was so hopeful, so affirmative, when in reality, if you look at the situation and you look at the cards, it was not. Now, I can't remember what the cards are. I wish I could, but I did check the comments because I was like, I want to know what other people are saying about this reading. And despite AI giving her such a hopeful and positive reading that they're going to end up together and it's gonna be all sunflowers and rainbows and unicorns, not a single comment agreed with that reading. So part of me was relieved to see that, and I'm glad that she reached out to actual humans to ask their thoughts and opinions. But what about the person who doesn't? Now let's talk about one more controversial element in the tarot community, and that is AI-generated tarot decks. It's crazy because they are pretty rampant as of late, and I find that people feel very strongly when they're against them. It's gotten to the point where some tarot communities won't even allow AI decks to be posted. And I know that different artists can use AI in different ways. So I do have a problem when someone just uses different prompts to create a 100% completely AI-generated tarot card or tarot deck. Because they're using none of their own artistic or creative abilities to create that. And let's be real, it's basically just the works of a bunch of other artists all smooshed together. And I'm sure we've all seen some of those Etsy shops that just seem to push out deck after deck after deck, and you realize pretty quick that oh my goodness, most of these are AI generated, if not all of them. And it makes me wonder: do you feel that AI-generated decks lack a certain energy or a certain soul? I was just talking to a friend about this as well, and for her, she feels very much so, where it feels off, it feels wrong. I myself have a couple of AI-generated decks, as much as I hate to admit it, most of them are three, four years old, and I think at that time it wasn't so obvious, and I think I just always assumed that artists who were putting out decks were creating them themselves. But of course, they have the telltale signs, the weird-looking hands, and the very AI-stylized artwork. Which I don't hate, so it's hard when there's an artist who produces that style of art on their own, when they come out with something, you always second guess it, right? And I honestly don't have a problem if an artist utilizes AI as a tool to enhance the art. I think for me the problem lies is when it's generative. So when they're using AI to create the art. Nowadays on Kickstarter, and I think on a lot of Etsy shops too, you will see it mentioned if it contains AI and to what extent, and that's something I always check and always look at. The AI decks that I do have, I can honestly say I don't use that much, and I don't know, and I don't know if it's just because they're not my favorite, if I'm afraid of the backlash, if I don't connect with them. I haven't really sat down and reflected on why. But I would just say again, use discernment. Choose what is right for you and realize where it's coming from. AI can be a really helpful tool, but we have to remember it's not human, it doesn't have a soul. And there's so much in the tarot world that requires more of that internal, personal, universal connection. And of course, that can deep dive us into the question of really what is a soul, what is consciousness, which is something I have been thinking and reading a lot about lately, but I will spare you, at least for this episode. But I just always think that for the artists who put their heart and souls and love and pain and grief and happiness into the works that they create, someone coming along and just mass generating tarot decks with very little of that imbued within them, I can only imagine how frustrating and soul-sucking it can be. So choose wisely. Choose the readers you go to and learn from, choose the decks that you support with discernment, with intuition, and with care. Because I think it does matter at the end of the day. Even if it doesn't feel like it does in the moment. So it's been a few episodes since we've done a collective reading, so let's do one. And for this, I'm using the sci-fi tarot by Todd Alcott. Every deck he does is outstanding, so please go check out his work. He has the pulp tarot, the sci-fi tarot, and the horror tarot. All of which are a super plus. So the question that I decided to ask is what do we as humans need to know about AI going forward? And of course, the sci-fi tarot is the perfect choice, right? But we have the eight of swords reversed, the ace of pentacles, and the emperor. And if you'd like to see a picture of the cards, make sure you check the show notes at adrianamari.com slash podcast or beyond the shuffle.buzzsprout.com. And I kind of love this mix of cards because with the eight of swords reversed, that shows that we have to face the anxieties, the insecurities, the fears, and make sure that we're not inventing narratives which actually take our power away, especially when it comes to AI. It's very much about taking the blindfold off and seeing it for what it is. I mean, we've all seen the terrifying movies and read the scary stories about what's going to happen when robots take over the world, right? And the Eight of Swords is very much the freedom from that. So if there is an element to AI that makes you feel very uncomfortable, really dig into why that is. Because it's not going away, and your discomfort isn't going to make it go away, and it's not going to make people stop using it. And I mean that in the nicest of ways possible. So what we have to do is confront and face the anxiety that it brings. And this is going to be reiterated by that emperor card, but we have to face that insecurity and find a way that it can work within a safe, secure, protective structure. But before we dive more into the Emperor, let's look at the Ace of Pentacles. And this shows that AI does have a place. It does have a place of opportunity. What we use it for is really up to us. And I think we have to take these opportunities, learn from them, and plant seeds for the kind of growth that we want to be seeing and having in the world. So, for example, if AI tarot readings or tarot decks are something that you do not agree with, like I do not agree with, don't support them. Don't buy the decks. Tell people, tell creators who are using AI in that way that you're not going to support them if that is what they continue to do. Because the Ace of Pentacles says we can plant new seeds to grow, which again tells me that there is a place for AI in our world. But the Emperor is like, we have to protect the kingdom that we've built. And we do that by controlling where our energy, our time, our money, our resources are being invested and spent. So while AI might feel like it's taking away, there are opportunities to integrate it in a way that can be helpful, but it does need to be controlled to some extent. And I think that's kind of where we're really blurry right now. There doesn't feel like there's a lot of control or implication or law or structure around how it's being used. But I think we're seeing that little by little, that is starting to come into effect. So even if that means you're making personal rules for yourself, start there. Discernment isn't necessarily a card I would use for the Emperor, but I think in this case, with that Eight of Swords reversed, it works very well. So just be discerning on the opportunities that arise for AI and how you engage with them. Because we have to remember that the future is not yet written, and it might feel like we're in a place in the world where we have so little say and so little control. And at the end of the day, you have to live in a way that you feel is right for you. Because that's what you're judging yourself on at the end of it all. So make those choices from a place of wanting to protect your kingdom. Because the robots, they're not going anywhere. And we can fear it or we can embrace it and insist change for the better. So that got a little deeper than I was expecting. But let me know, do you like this kind of discourse on the tarot? Would you rather stick to these cards mean this and this element? What are you enjoying about Beyond the Shuffle? I would love to hear from you. So feel free to send me a message on Instagram at Beyond the Shuffle Podcast or on my personal Instagram at Adrian Amari Tarot. And if really enjoying your connection with the cards and taking your tarot practice to a whole new level is something that you're interested in, consider joining us in the tarot lab. Every month I host a different themed masterclass on a way to work with tarot, a tarot practice session, office hours where you can come, ask for help, get feedback, share your love of tarot and interpretations. There are monthly challenges, there is a resource section. I really believe in the power of tarot. And whether you just read for yourself or you're gearing up or reading for others, the tarot lab is to help you accomplish your tarot goals. You can find more information on that at adrianamari.comslash the tarot lab. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you enjoyed today's episode, and I hope to see you next week on Beyond the Shuffle.