The far side of the uncanny valley: ‘Healthy persons’, androids, and radical uncertainty

Abstract

This paper explores the uncanny valley in a possible future when humans and androids are indistinguishable from each other. In this setting, humans will by definition experience a condition of radical uncertainty. We investigate the strategies people use to attempt to distinguish between human-like entities, both humans and androids. Experimental results demonstrate that visual and contextual information are important during entity identification, but under conditions of radical uncertainty, a feeling of discomfort and rejection towards human-like entities - both humans and androids - may be experienced.