AI tarot decks are everywhere right now. If you spend time on Kickstarter, Etsy, Amazon or social media, you’ve probably noticed how many new decks are being released using AI art, AI-assisted artwork, or a mix of digital tools and human editing. As someone who reviews decks, creates decks, makes art, and runs a spiritual business built on trust, this is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about.
My opinion didn’t form overnight.
In my everyday muggle life, I work as a graphic and web designer. When generative AI started appearing in the tools I use, I had a strong reaction. When Photoshop introduced generative features, it felt unsettling, like something I had spent years learning could be replaced by typing a prompt.
Because of that, I understand why artists feel uncomfortable about AI. I felt the same way at first.
✦ AI Is Already Part of the Deck World
Whether people like it or not, AI is already part of the tarot and oracle deck world. Creators use it for ideas, textures, backgrounds, symbols, and sometimes full illustrations. Some decks are fully AI-generated, while others are AI-assisted, with the creator editing, redrawing, or building on what the AI produces.
From the outside, these decks can look as beautiful as fully illustrated ones, sometimes more polished. But a tarot deck is more than nice images.
✦ As a reviewer, I look at intention and effort.
✦ As an artist, I care about the process.
✦ As a deck creator, I know how much work it takes to make something that actually functions.
✦ As someone running a spiritual business, honesty matters a lot.
That’s why the conversation about AI cannot be only about whether the art looks good.
✦ What I Learned From Graphic & Web Design
One lesson from working in graphic and web design shaped the way I see decks today.
When I worked with clients, I would give them three design options: one I spent days perfecting, one simpler but decent, and one I put together quickly to meet a deadline. Almost every time, the client picked the rushed option.
That taught me something important: most people don’t focus on how something was made. They respond to what speaks to them. If something feels right, that is what matters most, even if the creator knows the process wasn’t detailed or time-consuming.
You can see this in the deck world too, where bootleg copies become popular, sometimes showing little to no regard for the time, effort, and care the original artist or deck creator put in.
Some people connect deeply with a fully hand-drawn deck that took years to create. Others connect just as strongly with an AI-assisted deck if the imagery speaks to them.
✦ As an artist, I can see the difference in the work behind it.
✦ As a creator, I know how much time and thought goes into building a system.
✦ As a reader, I feel the difference in how the deck functions.
✦ As a deck user, what matters most is whether the deck resonates.
✦ Why Some AI Decks Feel Empty and Flat
This part is harder to explain unless you read tarot regularly.
Some AI decks look incredible but feel flat in readings. Not always, but often enough that you start to notice. Tarot isn’t just pictures on cards. It’s symbolism, structure, and the relationship between the cards.
When a deck is made quickly without much thought behind the imagery, or without really understanding tarot, lenormand, cartomancy, or oracle systems, the meanings can start to feel random or disconnected. The cards might look beautiful on their own, but they don’t always work well together as a complete system.
That doesn’t mean AI automatically makes a deck bad. Human-made decks can feel empty too. But when a deck is produced very fast simply because the technology makes it possible, the lack of depth becomes easier to notice.
You can usually tell when a creator really thought about the system, and when they didn’t.
✦ AI-Generated vs AI-Assisted Is Not the Same Thing
Not all AI decks are equal, and this is something I think people often overlook.
There is a big difference between:
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a fully AI-generated deck where the images come straight from prompts with little to no editing
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an ai-assisted deck where AI is only used for references, textures, or small supporting elements
These are not the same level of work, and they shouldn’t be treated the same.
Even when AI is involved, creating a tarot deck that feels cohesive still takes skill. The way prompts are written matters, the style has to stay consistent, and the cards need to feel like they belong in the same world.
I used Photoshop’s Generative AI feature to create The Magician card. The image on the left was made with a simple prompt, while the one on the right came from a much more detailed prompt that took time to tweak and refine before I got the result I was looking for to be used as an example here. Now imagine doing this 78 times. Tap image to zoom.
The strongest AI-assisted decks I’ve seen still require a lot of refining: correcting symbols, adjusting colors, repainting details, or reworking parts of the image so the meaning fits the card.
I do take AI into account when reviewing decks, because it changes how the deck was created. That said, what matters most to me is the care and thought put into the final result. A deck that shows effort, intention, and understanding of tarot can still be meaningful, even if AI played a role. Conversely, a deck created quickly with AI but little human refinement often feels flat or disconnected as a system.
This is a sample sketch of The Magician from a new tarot deck I’ve been working on. I started this project 2 years ago, and I still have around 68 cards left to complete, which shows how long creating a deck by hand + my own tarot journey can really take.
✦ As a Deck Creator, I Know How Much Work It Takes
Making a tarot or oracle deck takes more work than most people realize. Even a small project can take months of planning, sketching, testing, rewriting, and revising.
You have to think about:
✔ symbolism
✔ card meanings
✔ how the cards relate to each other
✔ guidebook writing
✔ printing quality
✔ how the deck actually feels in readings
✔ and most of the time, your personal journey
So when I see decks released very quickly with dozens of AI images and very little explanation behind them, I can’t pretend the process is the same as someone who spent years developing their work.
For anyone who isn’t familiar, an AI deck usually looks like a collection of digital images produced by artificial intelligence tools. The cards can be visually striking, sometimes hyper-detailed, or in a very consistent style—but they’re not handmade, painted, or fully human-curated. Some decks are entirely AI-generated, others are AI-assisted, meaning the creator guided prompts or refined images, and some are a mix of both.
That’s why I think honesty matters.
If a deck is AI-generated, say it.
If it’s AI-assisted, say it.
If prompts were a big part of the process, say that too.
Transparency builds trust, and trust is important in a spiritual space.
Let people see what they’re getting and decide for themselves if it’s the right deck for them.
It took me 3 years to complete my first deck, Midnight Madness Tarot, because creating it became tied to my shadow work and my own healing journey, which made the process much slower but also more meaningful.
✦ As a Deck User
From my perspective as someone who actually uses tarot decks, the decks I gravitate toward are the ones where I connect with the art style and the artist behind them. That connection is how the deck speaks to me.
When I find a deck that resonates, I often go to great lengths to admire the artist and/or creator for bringing such a beautiful work of art into the world. I dive into their creative process—their struggles and triumphs—because learning about their journey is healing and inspiring in itself.
I’ve also learned that not everyone engages with decks this way. Some people focus only on the imagery itself, or on owning a deck without exploring the creator behind it. It’s part of the reason bootleg decks exist and why opinions in the community are split.
✦ Running an Ethical Spiritual Business Changes My Perspective
Because I review decks and work with fellow creators, I try to look at this fairly.
Many artists spend years learning (like I did) how to draw, paint, design, and study tarot. So when AI suddenly makes it possible to create a full deck much faster, it’s normal that some people feel frustrated.
At the same time, AI can also help people create projects they wouldn’t be able to make otherwise.
For me, it’s about respect and intention—honoring the system, the journey, and the people who will use the deck. A deck isn’t just art; it’s a vessel for healing, reflection, and spiritual insight.
That means respecting:
✔ the art and the creator’s vision
✔ the deck tradition and the structure of the deck
✔ the people using the deck and the experience it offers
✔ honesty about the creative process
A deck made with intention, care, and a focus on the user’s spiritual journey carries a depth and resonance that can’t be rushed, regardless of whether AI is part of the process.
✦ How I Approach AI Decks as a Reviewer
When I review a deck and AI was used, I ask myself a few simple questions:
1. Does the deck feel thoughtful?
2. Does the symbolism make sense?
3. Did the creator put real effort into the system and the guidebook?
4. Are they honest about how the deck was made?
5. Does the deck actually work in readings?
These questions help me decide how I connect with a deck and whether it feels aligned with the level of care, respect, and depth I look for when reviewing spiritual tools. Every deck is different, and my focus is always on the overall intention, the creator’s input, and how the deck feels in actual use.
✦ Where I Stand
AI tarot decks are now part of the modern deck world, and that isn’t going away.
It took me time to get used to this, especially coming from a design background where I watched AI tools slowly become part of the programs I use every day. At first, it felt uncomfortable, almost like a betrayal, like something I had worked hard to master was being replaced.
A deck made quickly just to exist or profit will show that.
By contrast, a deck created to support someone on a healing journey, offer spiritual insight, or foster human connection tends to carry a depth that comes from lived experience and intentional design.
Those qualities are harder to achieve with a purely AI-generated or AI-assisted deck unless the creator puts real thought, personal meaning, and effort into the process.
Because of this, I find myself paying closer attention to the guidebook when a deck includes one. I look to see whether it reflects the creator’s own voice, their understanding of the cards, and their personal journey, or if it feels like something generated quickly without that same level of care. A thoughtful guidebook often tells me more about the deck than the artwork alone.
And if there is one thing tarot teaches us, it is that the cards are a mirror. They reflect you, your moral self and your shadows. A deck that comes from genuine intention will guide, challenge, and inspire in ways that go beyond aesthetic beauty. It is about how they invite introspection and how they help you grow.
Even with AI in the mix, the decks that leave the deepest impact are the ones where human care, creativity, and soulfulness have been poured into every card. Tarot is not just art or a tool. It is a conversation with yourself, and the decks that honor that process are the ones that truly endure.
That said, it is worth asking some important questions when approaching AI decks:
✦ Am I respecting someone’s artwork and livelihood if I support this AI deck?
✦ Am I honoring the time, effort, and skill that human artists invest in their work?
✦ Does this deck offer meaningful insight, or is it primarily aesthetic?
✦ Am I supporting transparency and honesty about how the deck was made?
✦ Will this deck actually serve the spiritual journey of those who use it, or does it feel empty or disconnected?
✦ Am I engaging with a tool that enhances human creativity, or one that replaces it without intention?
Here are a few more pieces worth exploring on AI and its place in spiritual tools like tarot and oracle decks:
- AI Generated Art + Tarot and Oracle Decks with AI by Benebell Wen
- The Truth About Using AI (in Tarot) by Torch Tarot
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