The economist writes that scientist now finally have proven the existence of the uncanny valley: the uncomfortable zone just before a robot can no longer be distinguished from a human.

The idea of the uncanny valley was originally proposed by Masahiro Mori, a Japanese roboticist, in 1970. Though he had no hard data, his intuition was that increasing humanness in a robot was positive only up to a certain point. Dr Mori drew a graph (see attached chart) with “human-likeness” on the horizontal axis and a quality he called shinwakan (variously translated as “familiarity” and “comfort level”) on the vertical one. As an object or image looks and behaves more like a human, the viewer’s level of shinwakan increases. Beyond a certain point, however, the not-quite-human object strikes people as creepy, and shinwakan drops. This is the uncanny valley. Only when the object becomes almost indistinguishable from a human does shinwakan increase again.

It continues with the approach by Dr Ho:

Dr Ho and Dr MacDorman accept the general idea, but they began by throwing out the idea of shinwakan. In their study, just published in Computers in Human Behavior, they say that Dr Mori’s ideas of familiarity and comfort level do not properly get at the quality of uncanniness. Neither do some suggested alternatives, such as warmth and likeability. The wicked queen in Disney’s “Snow White”, for instance, was hardly likeable. But she was not uncanny either.

By plotting perceived humanness along the horizontal axis and eeriness along the vertical, Dr MacDorman says that he can recreate Dr Mori’s chart of the uncanny valley, this time using real data about how people feel about a particular robot or animation.

When is something ‘creepy’?. Isn’t creepy something we’ve learned throughout our lives? Isn’t creepy something like: ‘hey this guy talks to me but at the same time he’s thinking about someone else?’ ’ What’s in his mind?’. “does he have a plan I should be afraid for?”. Isn’t that creepy?

The uncanny valley is to me more a reflexition how human-human communication works that human-computer communication. We’ll soon enter a new era where computer camera’s will look deep in our eyes, and where facial computer expressions exactyly match words, intonation, facial movement, facial skin color and color, texture, direction, tone, and movements of the eye.

It’s just a matter of time when we feel just as comfortable with a computer-human conversation through a screen then human-human computer conversational through a screen.

If the human likeliness score of a chatbot animation is in line with its intelligence (thus no humanlike looks with dumb AI, and vice versa), there will be no uncanny effect. Then attention, intelligent and looks are positioned naturally.

However, it’s not possible to prove this academically for the sole reason that we are not able to yet to produce ‘almost human’ intelligence. We simply have to wait..

What do you think?

Putting robots on the “doll” to “human” spectrum based on their intelligence is a very interesting idea, Erwin. Would people then associate those “creepy” traits of the uncanny valley with a lack of intelligence, rather than a dead or plotting mind? Especially those who’ve been raised since childhood in an environment with robots. But as you say, such a hypothesis could only really be tested once we have more intelligent chatbots.

But as an initial test, one could have increasingly lifelike avatars, like those in the sciencemag article*, with human actors piloting them, behaving as intelligently as their avatar is human-like. Would be an interesting psychological experiment.

* http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/dead-or-alive-the-eyes-hold-the-.html

This thing has been wondering around my mind now for a few days, and I can’t help but feel pity for future actors. I mean: there’s not much of a future for these people once this is cracked and we have ‘characters’ (AI driven animations) that are able to pass this ‘uncanny valley’.

@Hunt: Perhaps, children who are raised with these things might be even better at picking up ‘non-real’ intelligence.

In the nearer term, actors aren’t limited by age anymore.
Check out Jeff Bridges in the new TRON movie.

Jeff Bridges Age-Reversed in New “Tron” Movie
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/08/entertainment/main7128503.shtml

or Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button

Making Brad Pitt Into Benjamin: How They Did It
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-4705848-500803.html

I believe in a future without a role for actors. Eventually, we’ll live in a time where all acting roles have been replaced by artificial characters. TV screens will have evolved to a collaborative set of screens and (holographic) projections that surround us, and a world where games and movie scripts are seamlessly integrated. We can decide whether we want to ‘watch’ a movie ‘or ‘experience’ a movie, dependent on our skills and mood. But all without human actors.

Other roles however can be played however by humans, either projected as they are or as an avatar: looking like an artificial human, or another creature.

The main characters, availailable consistently during 24 h a day, will be ‘played’ by AI.

In a related note, nobody I talk to on a regular basis believes me when I tell them nearly all jobs will be replaced by AI/Robotics.

have a look over here:

http://erwinvanlun.com/ww/trends/

In 2050, it’s all set.

Welcome to the AI Zone forums btw !

Welcome to the AI Zone forums btw

Oh, thanks.  I’m not building a bot but I’m an AI fanatic.

@Toby: I’d (almost) believe you.

@Erwin: Very much agreed with your prediction, except for the nano technology. I think that the nano and AI will join. A lot of stuff could be done far better through nano, I’m thinking of construction, mining,....

Also, I wrote ‘almost’ instead of completely for this reason: People get bored, if all jobs are done by AI & robots, a lot of folks might start to feel useless. People with nothing to do, start doing bad and stupid things. So there has to be a replacement. The ‘entertainment’ part (as Erwin points out) will probably take up a major section. But I think, for many/some, that wont be enough, they’ll need something to make them ‘feel important’. So, my guess is, we’ll be having a whole lot of ‘manager’ positions, who’s job it is to ‘oversee’ the robots.

I don’t think actors are all going to be totally replaced by artificial characters at all.  How about other technologies like radio and television - did they stop people going to see plays and performances - no they did not.  Did they stop people reading books ?  No they did not.  People are still performing the works of Aristophanes…

I think it will just become a thing unto itself.  What I would really like to see is this technology entering games to enrich NPC (Non PLayer Characters).  Now that would be fun

P.S Where is the edit button ???

Subscribing…

I don’t think actors are all going to be totally replaced by artificial characters at all.  How about other technologies like radio and television - did they stop people going to see plays and performances - no they did not.  Did they stop people reading books ?  No they did not.  People are still performing the works of Aristophanes…

Very much agreed that movies and stories and stuff wont go away (the demand, sort of). What I think will be going away, is the ‘human’ playing the part. Instead it would be some sort of AI. This could even be done for plays: by use of 3d imaging and fancy techniques.
The advantages are huge: no more wining, unpredictable actors that cost ridiculous amounts of money. Instead, you’d have ‘virtual characters’ that pretty much do whatever you want, 24/7, without fear of breaking anything,.... you get the idea.

Jan Bogaerts - Jan 4, 2011:

The advantages are huge: no more wining[sic], unpredictable actors that cost ridiculous amounts of money. Instead, you’d have ‘virtual characters’ that pretty much do whatever you want, 24/7, without fear of breaking anything,.... you get the idea.

Instead, you’d have whining, greedy copyright holders demanding ridiculous amounts of money. I’m thinking of Mickey Mouse and the heirs to the Disney empire, but there are many examples to choose from.

Somehow that last edit didn’t turn out quite the way I intended. My bad for not previewing it first. Is it possible to fix it?