Astrology is booming, thanks to technology and younger enthusiasts

Transiting Pluto Semisextile Natal Uranus in Capricorn. That was the response Co-Star, an astrology app, gave when your correspondent asked if he should work harder. It meant, in plain(er) English, that the position of Pluto vis-à-vis Uranus could spark creativity, reduce the need to “conform to traditional work expectations” and unleash a “natural sense of individuality, rebellion”. Citing the movement of planets for missing a deadline, however, would not please your correspondent’s editor. Horoscopes, be damned.

More users globally are turning to astrology for advice. Co-Star, an American firm, is reported to have more than 30m users, whom it charges for queries ($2.99 gets you five questions). AstroTalk, an Indian firm, connects more than 40,000 astrologers to 80m customers remotely. Spending on astrology-related products and services is projected to grow to $22.8bn by 2031, up from $12.8bn in 2021, reckons Allied Market Research, a consulting firm.

Some 70% of Americans either “somewhat” or “strongly” believe in astrology, according to a survey by the Harris Poll, a research firm, in 2024. One reason for this attraction is the decline of organised religion, which has sparked a search for meaning in other places, from gyms to politics. Another commonly cited explanation is the stress of modern life: 61% of Americans say that astrology provides comfort in uncertain times. Interest surged during the covid-19 pandemic. On Google global searches for the term “astrology” hit a ten-year high in December 2020.

Youngsters, in particular, are captivated by it. More than 60% of users of InstaAstro, an Indian service that connects astrologers with clients, are Gen Z. Many use the platform to seek relationship advice. In China, young people are drawn to Cece, another app, for similar reasons.

Developments in technology tend to weaken pseudoscience, but in astrology’s case they have expanded its reach. In the early 20th century astrology spread through horoscope columns in newspapers; the internet and smartphones expanded interest to new stargazing users.

AI is now making access to prophecies even easier. Whereas once clients needed to see an astrologer in person to discover their prospects in love and life, today they can simply input the details of the time and place of their birth on digital services, such as KundliGPT. The firm generates responses using a large-language model that has been trained on relevant data, including planetary positions and astrological material sourced from websites and forums. Co-Star uses AI tools to combine data from space (sourced from NASA) with insights from human astrologers to give personalised responses to users.

AI and astrology may seem strange bedfellows, but there is a millennia-old connection. In “A Scheme of Heaven”, a history of astrology, Alexander Boxer, a data scientist, argues that the ancient study of stars was the world’s first “grand data-analysis enterprise”. The methods employed to compile datasets of planetary movements, used to produce horoscopes, have influenced the big-data and machine-learning tools that generate today’s AI-fuelled astrological predictions. It may be the ultimate cosmic cycle.

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