What Is the Uncanny Valley and Why Does it Matter?
How technology is bridging the gap between reality and fantasy
The term “uncanny valley” is one that’s become more popular in recent years. And while many understand what sorts of scenarios the phrase applies to, others still aren’t yet familiar with it at all.
The original concept of the uncanny valley is attributed to Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori, who introduced the term in 1970. Uncanny valley refers to the idea that a being’s similarity to a human elicits a sense of unease or revulsion among observers when the resemblance is nearly— but not perfectly — complete. It’s a term that’s often been used in reference to the world of entertainment, videogames, VR, and most recently, the Apple Vision Pro headset.
To circumvent the inhumanity of a helmet on heads where eyeballs once were, Apple implemented a feature called EyeSight. Essentially, it grafts lifelike eyeballs to the front of your headset that move in time with your real ones. In the virtual world, when you FaceTime with others, your real-life expressions are overlayed on top of a fully digital approximation of your face and body. Among those who’ve tried the service, “uncanny valley” has been a recurrent descriptor. In the world of AI and image generation, too, it’s a concept we can see at play.
