Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
uncanny-valley
noun
/ʌnˈkæni ˈvæli/
Definition
The uncanny valley is a concept in robotics and artificial intelligence that describes the discomfort or eerie feeling people experience when they encounter a humanoid robot or digital character that closely resembles a human but is not quite realistic enough.
Examples
- Many filmmakers struggle with the uncanny valley effect when creating digital characters for their movies.
- The latest humanoid robot is fascinating, but some find it falls into the uncanny valley due to its lifeless eyes.
- When virtual helpers start looking almost human, they often trigger the uncanny valley response in users.
Meaning
This phenomenon suggests that as a robot’s appearance becomes more human-like, people’s emotional responses become increasingly positive, but only up until a certain point; when it gets too close to looking human but still has some odd, unsettling features, the emotional response drops sharply, creating a ‘valley’ of unease.
Synonyms
- creepy resemblance
- eerie likeness
- human-like discomfort
