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

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.11367 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.11367/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Feb 2026.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Musical Mirrors: The LLM as Sounding Board in Songwriting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.13944/) (2026)
- [LLMs as Oracles: Reliance on LLMs for Subjective Personal Questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.14849/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

While generative AI tools are increasingly adopted for creative and analytical tasks, their role in interpretive practices, where meaning is subjective, plural, and non-causal, remains poorly understood. This paper examines AI-assisted tarot reading, a divinatory practice in which users pose a query, draw cards through a randomized process, and ask AI systems to interpret the resulting symbols. Drawing on interviews with tarot practitioners and Hartmut Rosa's Theory of Resonance, we investigate how users seek, negotiate, and evaluate resonant interpretations in a context where no causal relationship exists between the query and the data being interpreted. We identify distinct ways practitioners incorporate AI into their interpretive workflows, including using AI to navigate uncertainty and self-doubt, explore alternative perspectives, and streamline or extend existing divinatory practices. Based on these findings, we offer design recommendations for AI systems that support interpretive meaning-making without collapsing ambiguity or foreclosing user agency.