Divination by Prompt: LLM-Mediated Xuanxue on Chinese Social Media
The rapid proliferation of large language models (LLMs) has produced a striking cultural practice: using conversational AI for divination. This paper offers one of the first systematic studies of LLM-mediated divination in the context of Xuanxue, an internet-native umbrella term for mystical and spiritual practices on Chinese social media. Using a mixed-methods design, we analyze 23000+ posts and comments from Xiaohongshu and conduct 32 semi-structured interviews with users and professional diviners. Users primarily consult LLMs about pragmatic concerns - romantic relationships, careers, exams, and in-game gacha draws - via two intersecting pathways: trend-driven curiosity enabled by vira...
| Authors | Chuang Li, Lixuan Wang, Yuqi Chen et al. |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.CY |
| Published | 8 May 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 8 May 2026 |
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