TLDR: Driven by anxieties about an uncertain future, a growing number of young people in China are embracing artificial intelligence tools for fortune-telling. They are combining traditional practices like ‘ba zi’ with modern AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek to seek insights into their relationships, careers, and overall destiny, finding solace and relief in the AI-generated predictions.
A new and rapidly expanding trend is sweeping across China, as young individuals, grappling with anxieties and uncertainties about their future, are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for fortune-telling and guidance. This phenomenon highlights a unique intersection of ancient Chinese divination practices and cutting-edge AI technology.
One prominent example of this trend is Haicen Yang, a 21-year-old from Chongqing, who has shifted from traditional tarot readings to leveraging generative AI for insights into her life. Yang integrates the ancient Chinese concept of ‘ba zi’ – which posits that a person’s birth year, month, day, and hour influence their fate – with modern astrology applications and AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and DeepSeek. She believes this combination allows her to ‘glimpse into the future.’
Yang recently utilized ChatGPT to assess her compatibility with her boyfriend based on their ‘ba zi.’ Her process involved inputting their birth dates, gender, and birthplaces into an astrology app to generate their ‘ba zi’ readings. These results were then fed into ChatGPT with a specific prompt: ‘Assume you are a feng shui master; please use our ba zi to assess our relationship.’ The AI’s response, which included an analysis based on the traditional Chinese five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), indicated that Yang, belonging to the water element, could ‘nourish’ her boyfriend, who is of the wood element. The chatbot further noted that their Chinese surnames also contained both wood and water elements, concluding they were a ‘perfect match.’ This AI-generated prediction brought Yang ‘much relief,’ underscoring the emotional impact these digital divinations have on users.
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This burgeoning practice is not isolated. The trend is gaining significant traction on Chinese social media platforms, particularly RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), where the hashtag #deepseekfortunetelling is widely used, indicating a collective embrace of AI for spiritual and personal guidance. The adoption of AI for such purposes reflects a broader societal shift where technology is increasingly being sought to provide comfort and direction amidst contemporary pressures and an unpredictable future.
