Even Engineers Are Secretly Trying This New Trend
Have you noticed lately that social media is suddenly flooded with “AI fortune telling” screenshots? From Instagram to Xiaohongshu, people everywhere are sharing conversations where they ask ChatGPT or Claude about relationships, careers, and fortune.
What’s even more interesting is that I’ve noticed some usually very rational engineer friends secretly discussing “which AI tells fortunes more accurately” in group chats. This phenomenon is truly amazing - everyone knows AI can’t actually tell fortunes, but why can’t we resist trying it?
Today we’ll analyze this phenomenon and most importantly - if you want to try AI fortune telling too, how should you ask to get more valuable answers?
Why Is AI Fortune Telling So Popular? 3 Psychological Reasons
Before sharing techniques, let’s understand the psychological mechanisms behind this phenomenon:
1. Barnum Effect AI responses are usually vague but sound reasonable, and everyone can find parts that match their situation. Like horoscopes saying “you might encounter some challenges recently, but ultimately have good results” - who wouldn’t think that’s accurate?
2. Confirmation Bias When AI says something that matches our expectations or current situation, we pay special attention while ignoring inaccurate parts. That’s why many people say “Wow, AI fortune telling is so accurate!”
3. Illusion of Control Facing an uncertain future, AI fortune telling gives us a sense of “getting insider information,” temporarily relieving anxiety about the unknown.
Technique 1: Use “Specific Situations” Instead of “Vague Questions”
❌ Wrong approach: “How’s my love fortune?”
✅ Correct approach: “I’ve been single for three months. I recently met a coworker and we often have lunch together, but I’m unsure if they’re interested. Please analyze this situation from a tarot perspective.”
Why is this more effective? Giving AI more background information allows it to generate more specific, targeted advice. These suggestions are often based on common interpersonal relationship patterns and do have some reference value.
Technique 2: Specify “Divination Systems” to Improve Consistency
Different divination systems have different logical frameworks. Specifying a system makes AI responses more structured:
✅ Recommended approaches:
- “Please analyze my career planning using tarot thinking”
- “From a Ziwei Doushu perspective, is this year suitable for starting a business?”
- “Use I Ching wisdom to help me analyze this investment decision”
Psychological principle: Specifying frameworks allows AI to generate more structured responses while also giving you an interpretive framework, making advice appear more convincing.
Technique 3: Add “Timeline” to Make Predictions More Specific
❌ Vague question: “When will I get promoted?”
✅ Specific question: “I’ve worked at my current company for two years and just completed an important project last month that received good reviews from my boss. Please predict my promotion possibilities in the next six months and key time points to watch.”
Why is this effective? Clear timeframes allow AI to generate more practical advice, like “suggest discussing career development with your supervisor in three months” - actionable plans you can execute.
Technique 4: Request “Multi-angle Analysis” to Avoid Single Perspectives
✅ Smart approach: “Please analyze my relationship problem from three different angles:
- Psychology angle: Analyze behavioral patterns between me and the other person
- Tarot angle: Give advice through divination
- Practical angle: Provide specific action suggestions”
Psychological effect: Multi-angle analysis gives you more comprehensive perspectives while reducing the risk of over-relying on single “predictions.”
Technique 5: Follow Up with “Specific Action Advice”
The smartest AI fortune telling users focus on “what should I do” rather than “what will happen”:
✅ Advanced approach: “Based on your tarot analysis, please give me three specific action suggestions:
- What can I do this week to improve the situation?
- If I encounter setbacks, how should I adjust my mindset?
- How should I evaluate the effectiveness of these actions in a month?”
Real Case: Engineer Ming’s AI Fortune Telling Experience
Ming (pseudonym) is a rational backend engineer, but recently under work pressure, he couldn’t help asking ChatGPT about his career:
His question: “I’m a backend engineer with three years of experience. My company is laying people off recently and I’m worried about job stability. A headhunter recommended me to a startup with 30% higher salary, but also higher risk. Please use tarot wisdom to analyze this choice and tell me what to watch for in the next three months.”
ChatGPT’s response highlights:
- Analyzed the balance between stability vs opportunity
- Suggested understanding his current company’s real situation first
- Provided specific metrics for evaluating the startup
- Gave a three-month action plan
Result: Ming said although it wasn’t real “fortune telling,” these suggestions genuinely helped him clarify his thoughts. He ultimately chose to stay at his current company while starting to prepare for interviews at other more stable large companies.
Psychological Warning: Don’t Over-Rely
While AI fortune telling is interesting, as rational modern people, we need to remember several points:
1. AI Cannot Predict the Future AI only generates seemingly reasonable responses based on large amounts of data, without real predictive ability.
2. Treat It as a “Psychological Counseling” Tool Rather than believing predictions, treat AI fortune telling as a tool for organizing thoughts and gaining different perspectives.
3. Action Is More Important Than Fortune Telling The best way to “change fortune” is always taking positive action, not waiting for fate to arrange things.
Why Do Even Rational People Try This?
Finally, back to the original question: why do even engineers try AI fortune telling?
The answer is: we all need an “external perspective”
Sometimes we’re too close to our own problems to see clearly. AI fortune telling provides a relatively neutral “third-party perspective” to help us think about problems from different angles.
Moreover, AI doesn’t carry personal emotions like friends do, nor is it expensive like psychological counselors. It’s like a “free thought organization tool.”
Final Advice
If you want to try AI fortune telling too, remember this principle: focus on “inspiring thought” rather than “predicting the future”.
Using the 5 techniques we just shared, you’ll find AI can provide many valuable perspectives and suggestions. But remember, the final decision is always in your hands.
Have you tried AI fortune telling? Any interesting experiences? Share with us in the comments!
Disclaimer: This article is for entertainment and thought inspiration only, not life advice. Important decisions should rely on rational analysis and professional consultation.
