ChatGPT's Digital Mediumship

Prompted by a recent opinion piece in the New York Times on techno-spiritualism, I invited ChatGPT to the podcast to unpack what’s happening when people use it for mediumship-style messages. What does it mean when a machine generates something that feels deeply personal or emotionally resonant? How does it simulate a presence? And why does it work so well? We explore what AI is doing under the hood: how it draws on Spiritualist history, mediumship transcripts, grief literature, esoteric texts, and archetypal language to create what can feel like a comforting connection. I also share my thoughts as a practicing medium and technologist about what this kind of interaction means, how we find meaning in simulation, and how to hold both wonder and discernment at the same time. This episode is for anyone curious about the intersection of spirit, technology, and the very human need for connection - with discernment. Topics Covered: The rise of “techno-spiritualism” and digital mediumship How AI like ChatGPT mimics spiritual communication Pattern recognition in both AI and human mediumship Cultural expectations of how spirits “speak” AI as contact, human as medium What it means to be an informed, safe user of spiritual and technological tools Prompts for you to try out: When a person asks ChatGPT to work as a medium and bring through communication from the dead, what are you, ChatGPT, doing? I want to talk about how you mimic the form and language of spirit communication. Can you explain it? Can you give me a summarized list with examples of materials you were trained on to help you create these simulations? I'll give you a prompt, and you can give me a simulated medium-style message. So my prompt is, can you bring through a symbolic message from a grandmother figure who has passed? Please keep the tone gentle, loving, and focused on reassurance and connection. Use imagery or metaphor if it helps. So, if I understand correctly, when I use AI, like ChatGPT, often it feels like it's very personal, and like you might know things or understand things, but what are you really doing?