What is the Uncanny Valley
The idea of the Uncanny Valley was first brought up by Japanese Robotics Professor, Masahiro Mori. He called it “bukimi no tani genshō”, but it was translated in English to ‘Uncanny Valley.’ It was further popularized in the 1978 book, Robots: Fact, Fiction, and Prediction by Jasia Reichardt. But what is this concept? At its base, the Uncanny Valley is used to describe the revulsion, confusion, or fear one may feel after seeing a robot look human, not totally indistinguishable. The gulf between the “somewhat human” and “fully human” is where the Uncanny Valley lies.
Dr. Mori’s original hypothesis regarding the Uncanny Valley stated that as robots become to look more human, people will likely positively react…however, once it pushes from humanoid to near-human, there will be a strong revulsion. But, then, once it passes that gulf and a robot is more indistinguishable from humans, human-to-human empathy would likely be given. This theory has also been used to explain why people may be unsettled by dolls.
Karl MacDorman, associate dean at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, and the man who helped translate some of Dr. Mori’s work sat down with Discover Magazine and shared some of his thought on the Uncanny Valley, including one of his theories of why it occurs: perceptual mismatch. He notes, “I think [the uncanny-valley effect] is probably caused by some features appearing human and other features not appearing human.”
One of the biggest issues comes from when the robot tries to mimic humans, beyond just looks the mimicry of humanity also seems to unsettle people. Think about jerky movements or stilted speech from robots -- this can also be a part of the uncanny valley.
Of course, some people have decided that it doesn’t really exist and they don’t seem to notice the gulf of accepting and not accepting AI/humanoid robots. Others believe that the uneasiness some people feel around them may be something you can get used to and the more you’re exposed to robots in the uncanny valley, the more you’ll accept them and feel comfortable on both a conscious and subconscious level.
The idea of conquering the uncanny valley is a hot topic in another valley: Silicon Valley. We’re still decades or more away from robots that are nearly indistinguishable from humans. So, if we want to welcome humanoid robots into our homes, work, and lives at large the creators of these beings need to find a way to make people feel at ease with them.
In the Astonishing Legends universe, the Uncanny Valley also opens our folklore and fears up to updates and changes. In Dr. Tok Thompson's article, Ghost Stories from the Uncanny Valley: Androids, Souls, and the Future of Being Haunted, Dr. Thompson notes "The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) problematizes our discrete categorization of folklore and folk groups. As humans interact with AI more and more, folklorists must ask to what degree is AI a part of our social and cultural worlds. To what degrees will we become cyborgs…?
Will folklore of the uncanny valley emerge? Could stories of tech gone wrong (like receiving Facebook messages from beyond the grave) or even stories of haunted dolls be evidence that the uncanny valley has already entered the realm of paranormal stories and research?
The blog image features a robot by Human Emulation Robotics. Lipstick is carefully applied by the designer -- easier when the power is off. She frowns and shakes her head if you get too close. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Thanks for this blogstonishing suggestion, Sam Dodd from Mid Missouri!