Does AI Have A Place In Witchcraft?

[SunKat]

I discovered a YouTuber fairly recently, GrumpyOldCrone. I find her videos delightful — she’s talented and funny, and it’s refreshing to hear someone else complain about the same minor things that I find annoying, but don’t really have anyone else with which to gripe about them. She’s fun. I like her. You might, too.

Two months ago, she posted a video about AI’s increasing presence in witchcraft circles:

I watched it when it first came out, I agreed with it, and it recently popped up again for me. So, I thought I’d reiterate it here: I wholeheartedly agree that artificial intelligence doesn’t have a place in witchcraft.

Like, literally anywhere.

When it comes to spellcraft, why would the Universe heed something that nobody could be bothered to actually make? The process of performing a spell starts long before you’ve lit the candles, said the chants, et cetera. On top of that, a lot of thought, research, and history goes into developing a good magical working. A generative AI that pulls concepts from various internet spells (some of which are already highly questionable on their own) and mashes them together isn’t doing that. If it has any results at all, they’re likely to be unpredictable at best.

When it comes to herb lore, it’s a bad idea to trust a web-based hallucination machine to give advice. There are already problems with computer-generated foraging guides allegedly “written” by authors that have never existed. Of course, human error is also a thing. (As evidenced by that crystal worker who put an ore of mercury in a fire, and that lifestyle blogger who put out a cookbook that included a recipe for raw, chocolate-dipped morels.) This is why it’s important to read multiple sources, and to both vet and question what you read. This is getting increasingly difficult as it is as AI models begin to poison the well of their own information — if kludging together flawed information was a problem to begin with, it’s one that’s only getting worse as more computer-generated “guides” enter the info pool.
Have you ever seen the movie Multiplicity?
It’s like that, but with more poison.

Obtaining this information doesn’t have to be expensive or challenging, either. There are tons of Pagan, witchcraft, foraging, and nature crafting communities online, and in real life via Meetup groups. A library card and an app like Libby can give you access to tons of e-books. Scribd offers a free trial, during which you can straight-up download your choice of 3 books in PDF form. I have read some fascinating research on historical magical artifacts and techniques through Academia, for free. If you’re looking for instruction in a specific technique, Udemy often has sales where their courses are as low as $10 a pop.
The only challenge is that the seeker actually has to consume it and absorb this information themselves. It isn’t as easy as asking ChatGPT for instructions, then following them. Few worthwhile pursuits are.

I also want to take a second to bitch about the uptick in AI generated Pagan “art.” My objections here are twofold: For one, I hate that artists are having their actual work taken, mashed up, and squirted out of the digital equivalent of a Play-Doh Fun Factory as something with too many fingers and its legs on backward. I also hate that so much of it is legitimately ugly and bad. I’ve gone to marketplaces and seen a lot of Pagan-flavored AI slop, and it’s honestly really disheartening. I’m not exactly stoked about the proliferation of the same handful of resin mold and 3D printed designs either, but at least they require a modicum of effort (and have the right number of limbs).

Some things take time and work, and there isn’t really a way around that. The “industry disruption” phenomenon doesn’t work in every context, and this is one of them. AI is not making witchcraft more accessible; it’s providing something that poorly apes it. Even if it were to improve, it isn’t a substitute for learning from a human, or for community, or tradition, or genuine artfulness.

While there are some things that modern AI models can do and do much better than humans (accurately diagnosing certain medical conditions, for one, or processing phenomenally large amounts of data into a useful form and suggesting a course of action), witchcraft isn’t it.

 

https://marblecrowblog.com/2025/03/19/does-ai-have-a-place-in-witchcraft/

[Pythoness Bandrui]

As for spells if there is one I don't like the words/chant I change it 

[Pythoness Bandrui]

I can't stand AI, I think we have no choice because everything it seems is becoming AI. Since we are on the topic of technology, I was about to add an app to my phone that was great for spells etc. Only downfall was when I read the reviews and complaints apparently the creator of the app is hacking into people's phone's. Well this is what I read okay; I would like to say that I am not sure if this is true or not but I don't want to risk it either