Authenticity, not algorithms

When I was a kid, I loved Lost in Space, but even at the ripe old age of nine I knew that naming the robot Robot was, as they say in the biz, a bit too on-the-nose. On my other favorite show, Star Trek, the computer was called Computer.

Writers had it a lot easier back then.

These days, we’ve gotten much better at making artificial intelligence feel human. We give it names like Siri, Alexa, and Claude; although the name ChatGPT leaves something to be desired when it comes to humanizing technology. We talk directly to it and expect an immediate response. Sometimes we even thank it when we get one.

This level of advanced technology, which is rapidly integrating into every aspect of our lives, demands that we take a closer look at how we do—or don’t—use it. We’re all deciding where to draw the line. Here’s where I landed:

No matter how convincingly technology imitates us, bits and bytes will never be an adequate substitute for blood and bones. There are still critical parts of the human experience no technology can emulate because there will always be a difference between sounding human and being human.

That difference means everything when it comes to tarot because tarot is ultimately about being human. It's about uncertainty, hope, grief, relationships, change, and the search for meaning. An AI program can explain grief, but it can't have buried a parent.

It can cite examples of anxiety but it’s never lain awake at 3 a.m. worrying about money.

Those realities deserve the attention of another human being because they call for a shared humanity that can’t be automated. AI can’t speak with the hesitations, emotions, contradictions, empathy, silences, or body language that make up the subtle yet critical elements of human exchange.

That’s why I conduct every Desert Tarot reading myself, with the listening, attention, and intuition that no algorithm can pull off, no matter how advanced.

That said, I do think AI has its place. It genuinely helps with organizing, planning, and research. I love being able to ask it to “create a to-do list for next week based on the conversation we just had” or “show me the five most popular variations of the Celtic Cross spread” or “what’s another word for crepuscular?”

I also rely on AI to do things I could not ever pull off, like creating visual art. The illustration at the top of this blog is a perfect example. I asked AI to help me create it because I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. Nor do I have $1,000 and three weeks to find the right artist who can help me. What I do have is a clear picture of what I want, a subscription to ChatGPT, and 37 seconds in my day to get it done.

But when it comes to listening to clients, hearing what they say, interpreting a spread in the context of their question, and bringing lived experience to the entire reading, well, AI simply isn’t built for that. Showing up for someone takes presence, not programming.

An algorithm can never replace authenticity.