uncanny valley

plural uncanny valleys

1. uncountableusuallycomputingA range of appearances, mannerisms, or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from a human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion.

   So in this case, the appearance is quite human like, but the familiarity is negative. This is the uncanny valley.

   1970, Masahiro Mori, “The Uncanny Valley”, in Energy, volume 7, number 4, pages 33–35

   4 more examples

   However, when the robot is so similar that it may be momentarily mistaken for real, the transition has a local minimum characterized by a sudden decrease of familiarity, the "uncanny valley"—a dip of frustration due to unmet expectations.

   2006, Sebastiano Bagnara, Gillian Crampton Smith, Theories and Practice in Interaction Design

   Almost human in appearance, yet not quite, the characters in 3-D computer animations are more disturbing than overt caricatures. The realm these creatures occupy is called the uncanny valley […].

   2007, Jonathon Keats, Control + Alt + Delete: A Dictionary of Cyberslang

   More unusual is perhaps the appropriation of a psychoanalytical theory to robotics–which is, in effect, what the uncanny valley aims to do. Mori's own descriptions of the uncanny follow a similar pattern to Freud's, where he indicates the kinds of events, states, processes or objects that might provoke the uncanny valley, particularly the theme of the dead.

   2015, Kathleen Richardson, An Anthropology of Robots and AI, Routledge, →ISBN

   There’s an uncanny valley effect occurring: Your friends look more like brands, and brands look more like your friends, so it’s increasingly hard to tell which is which. And that’s exactly what businesses want.

   2016 September 22, Kyle Chayka, “Instagram's Creepy New Ads Look Like Posts From Your Friends”, in The Atlantic

2. broadlyfigurativelyuncountableusuallyDigital or ambiguous physical spaces that create a sense of unease or eeriness due to deviations from familiar patterns that challenge perception and categorization, leading to discomfort. (e.g., liminal spaces, haunted houses, the Backrooms, etc.)