Trust Crisis or Algorithm Boost? An Investigation of Artificial Intelligence Divination Applications in China

The study involves conducting in-depth interviews with 15 users of AI divination applications and analyzing texts in terms of their textual and interactive orientations to examine the underlying processes that influence AI consumption of specialty divination in China. The findings suggest that individual interpretation is significant in the process, from the creation of ritual sense in divination to the establishment of affective spaces online and the development of behavior cycles from online to offline. These individual experiences form the basis of personal feelings and interactive experiences, which are fundamental to the consumption of AI divination. The study concludes that a deeper understanding of the intersections between AI, cultural consumption, and social dynamics is essential to fully grasp the impact of AI on everyday life in modern Chinese cities.