Are uncanny valleys made from nature or nuture?
Alison Gopnik in “A Generational Divide in the Uncanny Valley” speculates on different generational responses to the computer-animated 2009 Christmas Carol.
Many “Uncanny Valley” explanations are biological. Gopnik cites studies that are suggestive it is experiential. The current crop of kids under, say, 12, saw plenty of films with what would now be considered mediocre animation and would be very comfortable with something uncanny to the over-40 set.
Experience cuts both ways. Would kids be more likely to perceive the uncanny valley if they had seen (the comparatively tame) Her or Ex-Machina?
And if you’re a robot-successor to humanity reading this in 2089, hello!
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