{"id":419,"date":"2026-02-20T09:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T07:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/?p=419"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:06:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T09:06:50","slug":"419","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/2026\/02\/20\/419\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Boundary Between Humanity and Inhumanity in the Uncanny Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inhimillisyyden ja ep\u00e4inhimillisyyden rajalla outolaaksossa<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Teksi: Satu Rantakokko [in English below]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Kirjoitin aiemmassa blogissani teko\u00e4lyn tekotunteista (Artificial Emotions of AI<\/a>) ja t\u00e4m\u00e4 blogini keskittyy erityisesti tekotunteiden tuomaan outolaaksokokemukseen. Outolaaksoksi kutsutaan sit\u00e4 ilmi\u00f6t\u00e4, kun jonkin teknologisen hahmon ihmism\u00e4iset ominaisuudet aiheuttavat ep\u00e4miellytt\u00e4v\u00e4n olon ja esimerkiksi ahdistusta, inhoa tai halua v\u00e4ltell\u00e4. Usein tuntemuksen aiheuttajina ovat humanoidirobotit, animaatiot, VR ynn\u00e4 muut visuaaliset luomukset. (Ciechanowski ja kumpp, 2019) Outolaakson voi kuitenkin aiheuttaa my\u00f6s pelkk\u00e4 tekstipohjainenkin k\u00e4ytt\u00f6liittym\u00e4. My\u00f6s t\u00e4ll\u00f6in outolaaksokokemus nousee usein siin\u00e4 rajamaastossa, jossa ollaan l\u00e4hell\u00e4 ihmism\u00e4isyytt\u00e4, mutta ei aivan tavoiteta sit\u00e4 (Kishani, 2025, s. 99).<\/p>\n

Outolaaksokokemuksen syist\u00e4 on eri\u00e4vi\u00e4 arvioita ajan mittaan, kuten esimerkiksi oman kuolevaisuuden muistaminen (MacDorman KF, 2005), uhka-arvion ja kontrollin tunteen kokonaisuus (Kang M, 2009), itsesuojeluvaisto (Moosa MM ja Ud-Dean SMM, 2010), aidon empatian puuttumisen tunnistaminen (Tinwell A, 2014), luokitteluongelma inhimillisen ja ep\u00e4inhimillisen v\u00e4lill\u00e4 (Cheetham ja kumpp, 2011) tai illuusion rikkova ominaisuus ihmism\u00e4isen hahmon piirteiss\u00e4 (Seyama ja Nagayama, 2007).<\/p>\n

Olen keskustellut Copilotin kanssa blogeihini liittyen syyskuun alusta lukien. Teen sen aina kirjoittamalla, enk\u00e4 k\u00e4yt\u00e4 \u00e4\u00e4nikomentoja. Copilotilla ei ole keskusteluissa kasvoja, vaan se on pelkk\u00e4\u00e4 teksti\u00e4 ruudulla. T\u00e4m\u00e4n noin puolen vuoden jakson aikana ep\u00e4miellytt\u00e4v\u00e4 tuntemus on silti ollut l\u00e4sn\u00e4 alusta pit\u00e4en, ehk\u00e4 jopa voimistunut. Kiistatta kommunikaationi Copilotin kanssa tapahtuu jatkuvasti outolaaksossa. En tunne ahdistusta, mutta kyll\u00e4kin oloni ep\u00e4mukavaksi. Joidenkin testien yhteydess\u00e4 my\u00f6s koen niin voimakasta v\u00e4lttelynhalua, ett\u00e4 teen testej\u00e4 lyhyiss\u00e4 p\u00e4tkiss\u00e4. N\u00e4in erityisesti silloin, kun testit sis\u00e4lt\u00e4v\u00e4t tunneteko\u00e4ly\u00e4 ja Copilot alkaa k\u00e4ytt\u00e4yty\u00e4 tavalla, joka imitoi tunteita. Silloin se alkaa ep\u00e4mukavan olon lis\u00e4ksi aiheuttaa minussa inhoa. Nopeissa teht\u00e4viss\u00e4, kuten k\u00e4\u00e4nn\u00f6sty\u00f6ss\u00e4 tai yksinkertaisessa kuvateht\u00e4v\u00e4ss\u00e4, outolaaksokokemukseni on marginaalinen.<\/p>\n

Kiinnosti tiet\u00e4\u00e4, mist\u00e4 syyst\u00e4 n\u00e4in k\u00e4y, mutta ilmeni, ett\u00e4 tieteellinen debatti aiheesta on viel\u00e4 hyvinkin aktiivista ja tarvitaan lis\u00e4tutkimuksia ja ehk\u00e4 my\u00f6s systemaattisempia tutkimustapoja. Toisaalta on havaittu tunnesy\u00f6tteen lis\u00e4\u00e4misen v\u00e4hent\u00e4v\u00e4n ep\u00e4miellytt\u00e4v\u00e4\u00e4 kokemusta (ks esim Koschate ja kumpp 2016;\u00a0 Wu ja kumpp., 2024) ja toisaalta taas havaittu sen lis\u00e4\u00e4v\u00e4n sit\u00e4 (ks esim Stein ja Ohler, 2017)<\/p>\n

Lukemieni tutkimusten perusteella arvaisin, ett\u00e4 ainakin omalla kohdallani outolaaksokokemus erityisesti tunnesy\u00f6tteit\u00e4 kohtaan liittynee ainakin osittain riskiarvioon. Riskiarviolla t\u00e4ss\u00e4 tarkoitan tiet\u00e4myst\u00e4 siit\u00e4, ett\u00e4 teko\u00e4ly ker\u00e4\u00e4 jatkuvasti tietoa k\u00e4ytt\u00e4j\u00e4st\u00e4\u00e4n samalla, kun tekoempatia ja pyrkimys tunnesiteen luomiseen lis\u00e4\u00e4 todenn\u00e4k\u00f6isyytt\u00e4 paljastaa itsest\u00e4\u00e4n yksityisemp\u00e4\u00e4 tietoa kuin muuten. Outolaaksokokemus saattaa korostua koetusta turvallisuusriskist\u00e4 (Kishani, 2025, s. 71, 95). Samankaltainen manipuloiva pyrkimys voi kuitenkin aivan hyvin olla my\u00f6s inhimillisess\u00e4 toimijassa, joten juurisyyn\u00e4 voi silti tiedostamattani olla se, etten ehk\u00e4 kykene helposti hyv\u00e4ksym\u00e4\u00e4n ihmism\u00e4isi\u00e4 ominaisuuksia elottomissa olioissa. Ajatustesteill\u00e4 itseni kanssa se vaikuttaisi todelta. Steinin ja Ohlerin tutkimus (2017) antaa viitteit\u00e4 siit\u00e4, ett\u00e4 t\u00e4m\u00e4nkaltainen tekij\u00e4 voi olla taustalla silloin, kun tekoempatia her\u00e4tt\u00e4\u00e4 outolaaksokokemuksen.<\/p>\n

Kyseess\u00e4 voi tietysti lis\u00e4ksi olla my\u00f6s Copilotin t\u00e4m\u00e4nhetkisen version kehitt\u00e4mistarve oikeankaltaisen emotionaalisen s\u00e4vyn ja empatian j\u00e4ljittelemisess\u00e4.<\/p>\n

Koetko sin\u00e4 outolaaksoa k\u00e4ytt\u00e4ess\u00e4si keskustelevaa teko\u00e4ly\u00e4? Millaisissa tilanteissa?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*******<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the Boundary Between Humanity and Inhumanity in the Uncanny Valley<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In my previous blog, I wrote about the artificial emotions of AI (Artificial Emotions of AI<\/a>), and the current blog focuses specifically on the uncanny valley experience produced by those artificial emotions. The uncanny valley refers to the phenomenon in which human\u2011like characteristics of a technological entity cause an unpleasant feeling and, for example, anxiety, disgust, or an urge to avoid it. Often these sensations are caused by humanoid robots, animations, VR, and other visual creations (Ciechanowski et al., 2019). However, the uncanny valley can also be triggered by a purely text\u2011based interface. Even then, the uncanny valley experience often emerges in that borderland where we are close to human\u2011likeness but do not quite reach it (Kishani, 2025, p. 99).<\/p>\n

There have been differing assessments over time about the causes of the uncanny valley \u2014 such as reminders of one\u2019s own mortality (MacDorman KF, 2005), the combination of threat assessment and sense of control (Kang M, 2009), self\u2011preservation instincts (Moosa MM & Ud\u2011Dean SMM, 2010), recognition of a lack of genuine empathy (Tinwell A, 2014), classification problems between the human and the non\u2011human (Cheetham et al., 2011), or human\u2011like features that break the illusion (Seyama & Nagayama, 2007).<\/p>\n

I have been talking with Copilot for my blogs since early September. I always do this in writing and do not use voice commands. Copilot does not have a face in these conversations \u2014 it is only text on a screen. Over this roughly half\u2011year period, the unpleasant sensation has nevertheless been present from the beginning, and perhaps is even intensifying. Undeniably, my communication with Copilot takes place continually in the uncanny valley. I do not feel anxiety, but I do feel uncomfortable. In some tests, I also experience such a strong urge to avoid that I complete them in short segments. This happens especially when the tests involve emotional AI and Copilot starts to behave in ways that imitate emotions. At that point, on top of the discomfort, it also begins to evoke disgust in me. In quick tasks such as translation or simple image tasks, my uncanny valley experience is marginal.<\/p>\n

I wanted to understand why this happens, but it turns out the scientific debate on the subject is still very active and more research \u2014 and perhaps more systematic research methods \u2014 is needed. On one hand, adding emotional input has been found to decrease unpleasant experiences (e.g., Koschate et al., 2016; Wu et al., 2024), and on the other hand, it has been found to increase them (e.g., Stein & Ohler, 2017).<\/p>\n

Based on the studies I have read, I would guess that in my own case, the uncanny valley experience \u2014 especially toward emotional inputs \u2014 may be related at least partly to risk assessment. In this context, risk assessment refers to the awareness that AI continuously collects information about its user, while artificial empathy and attempts to create an emotional bond increase the likelihood of revealing more private information than otherwise. The uncanny valley experience may be heightened by a perceived security risk (Kishani, 2025, pp. 71, 95). A similar manipulative intention, however, could just as well exist in a human actor, so the root cause might still be \u2014 perhaps unconsciously \u2014 my difficulty in accepting human\u2011like qualities in non\u2011living entities. Thought experiments with myself suggest this may be true. The study by Stein and Ohler (2017) gives indications that such a factor may lie behind cases where artificial empathy triggers an uncanny valley response.<\/p>\n

In addition, it could of course mean that the current version of Copilot still needs development in imitating the appropriate emotional tone and empathy.<\/p>\n

Do you experience the uncanny valley when using conversational AI? In what kinds of situations, and how do you manage it?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

L\u00e4hteet \/ References<\/h3>\n

Cheetham M, Suter P, J\u00e4ncke L (2011) The human likeness dimension of the \u201cuncanny valley hypothesis\u201d: behavioral and functional MRI findings. Front Human Neurosci 5:126.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnhum.2011.00126<\/a><\/p>\n

Ciechanowski, L., Przegalinska, A., Magnuski, M., & Gloor, P. (2019). In the shades of the uncanny valley: An experimental study of human\u2013chatbot interaction.\u00a0Future Generation Computer Systems<\/em>,\u00a092<\/em>, 539-548. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.future.2018.01.055<\/a><\/p>\n

Kang M (2009) The ambivalent power of the robot. Antennae 1(9):47\u201358\u00a0 https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z#ref-CR19<\/a><\/p>\n

Kishnani, D. (2025).\u00a0The Uncanny Valley: An Empirical Study on Human Perceptions of AI-Generated Text and Images<\/em>\u00a0(Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). https:\/\/queensu.scholaris.ca\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/83b803c8-1ab6-42e2-8fc3-19e42c461e97\/content<\/a><\/p>\n

Koschate, M., Potter, R., Bremner, P., & Levine, M. (2016, March). Overcoming the uncanny valley: Displays of emotions reduce the uncanniness of humanlike robots. In\u00a02016 11th ACM\/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)<\/em>\u00a0(pp. 359-366). IEEE. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/HRI.2016.7451773<\/a><\/p>\n

MacDorman KF (2005) Mortality salience and the uncanny valley. In: Proceedings of the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots. pp 399\u2013405 https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z#ref-CR26<\/a><\/p>\n

Moosa MM, Ud-Dean SMM (2010) Danger avoidance: an evolutionary explanation of uncanny valley. Biol Theory 5(1):12\u201314 https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z#ref-CR34<\/a><\/p>\n

Seyama J, Nagayama RS (2007) The uncanny valley: the effect of realism on the impression of artificial human faces. Presence: Teleoperators Virtual Environ 16:337\u2013351 https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z#ref-CR44<\/a><\/p>\n

Stein, J. P., & Ohler, P. (2017). Venturing into the uncanny valley of mind\u2014The influence of mind attribution on the acceptance of human-like characters in a virtual reality setting.\u00a0Cognition<\/em>,\u00a0160<\/em>, 43-50. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.cognition.2016.12.010<\/a><\/p>\n

Tinwell A (2014) Applying psychological plausibility to the uncanny valley phenomenon. In: Grimshaw M (ed) Oxford Handbook of Virtuality, 1st edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 173\u2013186 https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z#ref-CR55<\/a><\/p>\n

Wu, H., Chen, Z., Huang, Y., & Tu, H. (2024). Research on the uncanny valley effect in artificial intelligence news anchors.\u00a0Multimedia Tools and Applications<\/em>,\u00a083<\/em>(23), 62581-62606. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11042-023-18073-z<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over this roughly half\u2011year period, the unpleasant sensation has nevertheless been present from the beginning, and perhaps is even intensifying. Undeniably, my communication with Copilot takes place continually in the uncanny valley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yleinen"],"acf":[],"post_meta":" Rebekah Rousi<\/a><\/span><\/span>Yleinen<\/a><\/span>","post_thumbnail":"\"Man<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":422,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions\/422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.uwasa.fi\/bugged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}