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Reading the future in 2026: AI psychics online, 200 fortune booths in Seoul
Two features published this week show how the old business of telling the future is changing. In one, The Guardian reports that human psychics are pushing back against AI-generated readings, warning that chatbots lack the empathy and connection that divination depends on. Its reporter tried an AI psychic called Urban Mystic, which predicted a wedding soon, saw a pink aura and suggested a past life as a herbalist.
"It's about connecting on a soulful level." — Urban Mystic, an AI psychic chatbot, via The Guardian
A second Guardian piece follows ghost hunters into the same territory. Amy Waine and Jarrad Cutting already use phone-sensor apps of their own design, and now describe their app GhostTube Seer as "the world's first AI Ghost Hunting tool". The paper says some paranormal enthusiasts are concerned about where chatbots are taking the hobby.
In Seoul, the picture is more traditional and very busy. The Korea Herald reports that the second Fortune Adventure exhibition opened on Thursday at the aT Center in Yangjae, southern Seoul, with more than 200 consultation booths covering at least 13 types of fortune-telling, from Korean saju and face reading to tarot cards and pet fortune-telling. The four-day event runs through Sunday, and a 10-minute reading costs 12,000 won ($8.40).
How each outlet framed it
- The Guardian (psychics) — a trade defending the human touch against chatbots that will say almost anything.
- The Guardian (ghost hunting) — enthusiasts who build their own tech, now unsure about AI.
- The Korea Herald — fortune-telling as a mainstream day out, with set prices and many styles under one roof.
Useful to know: at 12,000 won for a 10-minute reading, trying several of the fair's styles adds up quickly, and the event closes on Sunday. The Guardian's pieces are a reminder that an AI reading is generated text, not a personal consultation.