In a bizarre twist of modern technology meeting ancient tradition, a woman in Greece has filed for divorce after relying on ChatGPT to interpret her husband’s Greek coffee cup and taking the AI’s reading at face value.
The woman, who has been married for 12 years and has two children, wanted a digital version of tasseography, the traditional art of reading coffee grounds to reveal hidden truths. She uploaded a photo of her husband’s used coffee cup to ChatGPT, asking for a symbolic interpretation.
According to Greek City Times, the AI responded with an ominous reading: it suggested her husband was romantically involved with a younger woman. Even more specifically, it claimed he had fantasies about a mysterious woman whose name began with the letter “E” and that their relationship was somehow destined.
Taking the AI’s interpretation seriously, the woman swiftly moved to file for divorce. Her husband shared the strange incident on the Greek TV show To Proino, explaining that his wife often embraces the latest trends and initially treated the coffee reading as a fun experiment. However, her attitude changed drastically after receiving ChatGPT’s response.
Despite his protests and dismissal of the reading as meaningless, the woman asked him to move out, informed their children of the impending separation, and had legal documents served within days.
The husband’s attorney has since stated that such AI-generated claims carry no legal weight in court. Traditional coffee readers also criticized the incident, pointing out that authentic tasseography requires examining not just the coffee grounds, but also the foam and saucer — factors not visible in a simple photo.
In a final dramatic twist, the AI allegedly added that the “other woman” was intent on destroying their family, fueling the wife’s decision to end the marriage.
