After Crossing the Uncanny Valley, AI Leaves Us on a Precipice
nsaphra · x · 2026-08-10
ML researcher Naomi Saphra published a deep-dive essay titled Life on the Uncanny Precipice, exploring the novel psychological crisis brought about by hyper-realistic AI simulations.
Saphra argues that as LLMs and image generators become indistinguishable from reality, they don't leave the uncanny behind; instead, they infect all mediated encounters with it. Humans now live on an "uncanny precipice," where any sincere interaction—a phone call, an email—can instantly collapse under the weight of an em-dash or a familiar AI phrase, revealing that you were performing sincerity for nobody.
Related event: AI Crosses Uncanny Valley, Humans Plunged into Creepiness(4 posts)→
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