uncanny valley

American  

[uhn-kan-ee val-ee] / ʌnˈkæn i ˈvæl i /

noun

1. 1. a psychological concept that describes the feelings of unease or revulsion that people tend to have toward artificial representations of human beings, as robots or computer animations, that closely imitate many but not all the features and behaviors of actual human beings.

   2. the dip in positive feelings toward such artificial representations.

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Etymology

Origin of uncanny valley

1970; coined by Masahiro Mori, Japanese roboticist (born 1927), from Japanese bukimi no tani (genshō) “uncanny valley (phenomenon)”

Example Sentences

This sensitivity contributes to what scientists call the "Uncanny Valley," a phenomenon where robots appear unsettling rather than lifelike.

From Science Daily

"We humans are just wired that way, and we can't help it. We are close to crossing the uncanny valley," Hu added.

From Science Daily

"I was like, 'I like this', but there was something that was very 'uncanny valley'," said TikTok music critic Elosi57.

From BBC

Each 11-minute episode follows mundane escapades, like hosting a movie night or getting in a hot tub, punctuated by a somewhat disturbing art style and clumsy-on-purpose animation that strays into the uncanny valley.

From Salon

But that appears to be changing with the likes of Optimus and sleeker droids which edge us closer to living in an uncanny valley.

From BBC