Good morning.
Something unexpected showed up on Harvard Business Review's top-100 AI use-case list this year for the first time. Astrology and tarot. The people doing it aren't asking AI to predict anything. They're using it to process. Here's what the research actually shows.
First time reading? Get your own free subscription here.
AI INSIGHT
Why Tarot and Horoscopes Are Suddenly an AI Thing
If someone asked you to name the fastest-growing AI use cases in 2025, you would probably say writing help, research, productivity. Maybe coding. You would be right about all of those. But one item appeared on Harvard Business Review's updated top-100 AI use case list this year that nobody would have predicted.
Astrology. Tarot card readings. They debuted on the list for the first time.
My first reaction was honest: a lot of people are using the most sophisticated technology ever built to generate robot horoscopes. My second reaction, after some reading, was more interesting.
According to a 2025 Pew Research survey, about 30% of American adults consult astrology, tarot, or fortune-tellers at least once a year. Most say they do it for fun rather than to make major decisions. The user base was already there. What changed is that AI made the whole thing conversational, free, and available at midnight with no appointment.
But the actual behavior is not what it looks like.
Researchers from MIT and the University of Michigan interviewed 12 people who regularly use AI in their tarot practice. What they found wasn't about prediction at all.
These people weren't asking AI to predict anything. They were using it to think. Three things came up consistently:
Managing self-doubt. When a reading surfaced uncomfortable feelings or conflicting interpretations, practitioners used AI to check their own thinking. "Am I reading too much into this? Am I projecting?" The AI offered an outside perspective with no personal stake in the outcome.
Getting multiple views. Rather than accepting a single interpretation, practitioners asked AI to generate three different readings of the same spread. They sat with each one to see which felt true — essentially using AI to stress-test their own instincts before deciding what to believe.
Speeding up reflection. A thorough tarot reading can take 30 to 60 minutes. AI compressed the interpretive work, so people could get past the mechanics and into the actual thinking faster.
The card itself almost doesn't matter. It is a prompt. A way to start a conversation that otherwise has no easy entry point. Most people can't just sit down and ask themselves "what am I actually worried about right now?" — the blank page problem is real. A tarot card gives you something concrete to react to. AI gives you something to react with.
You don't need to believe in astrology for this to work. The mechanism isn't mystical. It is the same reason structured journaling works: the act of translating a vague feeling into words makes it specific enough to examine. The card just gives you a starting point you didn't have to come up with yourself.
This connects to something worth noting. The number one AI use case in 2025 is therapy and emotional support — not coding, not writing, not productivity. Tarot-as-AI-prompt is just a more colorful entrance to the same conversation. People want a thinking partner. They'll find creative ways to start that conversation.
You don't need the cards. You just need the question.
Want to try this yourself?
"I want to think through something that's been on my mind, but I'm not sure how to start. I'm going to describe the situation briefly, and I want you to ask me three questions that might help me see it more clearly. Don't give me advice yet — just ask. Here's what's going on: [describe your situation in a few sentences]."
Five minutes. No cards required.
READER POLL
When something is bothering you, what's your first move?
WHERE TO GO NEXT
More on this topic, from sources worth your time:
Journaling for Skeptics: Thinking Clearly Without "Dear Diary" -- If the reflection angle resonated, this piece covers the structured approach that works the same way — no cards, no blank page, just good questions and honest answers.
StoryWorth -- A weekly question delivered to your inbox that helps you capture and preserve your own stories. Same principle as this piece, applied to the bigger picture of your life.
Wispr Flow -- If you would rather talk things through than type them, this voice dictation tool works inside any AI app. Sometimes thinking out loud gets you somewhere typing won't.
FROM OUR PARTNER
Get Your Own Lab Work Done — No Doctor's Order Required
Most people have been there: you want a specific blood test, your doctor doesn't think it's necessary, and your insurance won't cover it anyway. HealthLabs is the straightforward fix. Order your own lab tests online, walk into one of thousands of CLIA-certified locations across the country, and get your results fast. No appointment, no referral, no insurance required. Prices are a fraction of what hospitals charge. If you have a high deductible or just want to know your numbers without the runaround, this is worth knowing about.
Advertising Disclosure: We evaluate all recommendations of products and services independently. Clicking on links provided on this page may result in AI for Daily Living earning compensation, which supports independent publishers like us.
