AI and your content – How to avoid falling into the uncanny valley

Have you noticed that some of the AI-generated images you see on platforms such as LinkedIn make you a little uneasy? Well, there is a reason for that. It’s called the ‘Uncanny Valley Effect’ and if you are using AI you should be aware that it could cause an unwanted response from your customers.

Should you let AI produce your content?

As is often the case, the question that immediately springs to mind ‘Should you use AI for your content’ isn’t actually a very useful one to ask. More to the point, several of the other common questions are also not really addressing a core issue and so the answers can be misleading.

So, let’s start by looking at the regular questions that come up about AI content. I want to be fair to the new technology so here is a positive start.

Q: Will AI produce readable content? A: Yes

Q: Will AI give me suitable images to illustrate my content meaning A: Yes

Q: Will it be quicker to create something for my website with AI than do it myself? A: Yes 

Q: Will it be cheaper to use AI for my content than pay a content specialist? A: Yes

Sadly, these are not the whole story, but they are often where people stop asking questions and start using AI. To get to the heart of the issue though, you need to understand why these questions are not the right ones to ask. you also need to think about what effect you could be having by indiscriminately using AI in your content.

AI is not human and we sense that it isn’t.

Whether we realise it or not, AI output is alien to us and probably will be for some time. You will often hear people say ‘AI is starting to think like us’ but this is not really true. By its very nature, Artificial Intelligence is, as the name suggests, artificial. So, there is no ‘thinking like us’ involved. The best you can hope is that AI will mimic human behaviour more completely. The software behind the output is not human, so why would it think or behave like us if it had independent intelligence? As Austrian Philosopher Wittgenstein pointed out ‘If a lion could speak, we could not understand him’. He is telling us that the nature of a lion is so alien that, although we could possibly communicate, we couldn’t understand each other. Everything that is a ‘lion’ is not a ‘human’ and vice versa. It is the same with AI. It is not human… and we sense that in its output. Ironically, the better it gets at mimicking us, the more we may well dislike it, and the less it will appeal to our humanity.

So:

Q: Should I let AI produce my content?

A: No. Not if you want it to appeal to humans.

Here’s why…

Fear and Loathing in Uncanny Valley.

Human beings tend to have a rather negative response to encounters with things that are ‘nearly human’. This is well documented. When something starts to appear ‘human’ it feels unsettling and alien. This phenomenon intensifies the more human it appears to be. So, a walking tin can with eyes like the famous Robbie the Robot, is less unsettling than a robot with near human features. There are various theories as to why this is the case but, regardless of why, the evidence for what is known as the ‘Uncanny Valley’ seems very clear. There is plenty of research and evidence for uncanny valley on the internet, but for now, here is my condensed version.

When we encounter something that is not human, we recognise it as exactly that. It is different and it is alien to us. Often, we will then fear it, or at least be wary, no matter how we try to rationalise it. According to the uncanny valley effect, the more human the thing we encounter becomes, the more it generates a feeling of unease and even loathing or fear as a response. One theory is that this is an evolutionary response and the fear is hardwired into us. This may be why we are still unnerved even though rationally we know we shouldn't.

Look at the AI image below:

I am willing to bet that the majority of people looking at the image will instantly recognise it as artificial. What could also be happening is that the elements that are slightly off (i.e. the floating building/garden/train line or whatever the hell that is to the left, the strange position of the two girls’ legs, the shadowy figures, the odd perspective, not to mention the robotic perfection of the central character) are pushing us into the uncanny valley. Think of it as a line where we will accept something as not human. When it reaches a point where it is getting closer to human characteristics, we react badly and the line of approval dips. That dip is the uncanny valley. It is the almost human yet different subject that makes us uneasy. Film makers, particularly horror and science fiction producers, use this (and other techniques) to great effect.

Some examples:

• Chucky
• The girl in the TV in Ring
• The Child Catcher (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
• Invasion of the body snatchers
• Midwich cuckoos

All these feature almost human antagonists and for a very good reason. They dwell in the uncanny valley and induce fear in the viewer.

So, does the uncanny valley effect extend to other content?

The uncanny valley effect is there in the image above, and clearly, it is used in movies as well. It seems reasonable to hypothesise that it occurs in other areas. Sound for example. What would you find more unsettling, a whistling noise in the chimney of an old house, or a noise that sounded like a whispering voice in the same chimney? I am guessing the latter. Despite you knowing it is a fiction created by the wind that weird, almost human, sound will creep you out.

Is it present in text content though? Ok, let’s test if the 'almost human' problem of the uncanny valley comes through.

Read the two descriptions below. Which one is the more human-sounding one?

‘The uncanny valley effect occurs when a humanoid figure closely resembles a human being but has subtle imperfections that evoke a sense of discomfort or eeriness. This phenomenon can lead to emotional disconnection and a feeling of unease among viewers or users when they encounter such near-human entities.’

‘The uncanny valley effect is that little shudder of revulsion or fear you get if you see something that is almost, but not quite, human. The small differences between a fake human and a real one can cause an instinctive reaction that most of us would call ‘creepy’ or ‘unsettling’.

Clearly, the second one uses more human language.

Now let’s do it again, this time discussing an emotion.

‘Love is a profound and selfless affection towards someone, characterised by emotional attachment and a deep sense of commitment and care.’ 

‘Love is a deep emotional connection to someone generated by a series of chemical reactions in the brain that result in a profound desire to be with another individual.’

Harder to judge? It was the second one again. This time I purposely avoided writing human to human and mimicked an AI flat response.

So, let’s be fair to the AI and see if it can do the same in the opposite direction. I ask it to write an answer to the question ‘What is love’ as if it were a human being. Here is what it came up with:

‘Love is a profound and often inexplicable feeling of deep affection and connection towards someone, which enriches your life and brings immeasurable joy and comfort.’

Hmmm…. Ok, but don’t you prefer the following from David Viscott?

‘To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.’

I am sure there are some who will prefer the AI description and there are certainly circumstances where a less emotive approach is appropriate, but isn’t that second one beautiful? That beauty, that expression of emotion, is something AI cannot understand.

What does all this mean to your content?

Basically, your customers are human and that means they need human content. If you give them artificial content, they will recognise it, either consciously or on some instinctive level. That means with AI you are at best giving them what they assume is machine-driven content or, at worst, triggering the uncanny valley response and making them uneasy.

Uneasy … not a feeling you want associated with your product or service, is it?

So, going back to our initial question and answering them more fully:

Q: Will AI produce readable content? A: Yes, but it is unlikely to be engaging and may feel mechanical to the reader

Q: Will AI give me suitable images to illustrate my content meaning A: Yes, but they could make the viewer feel uneasy

Q: Will it be quicker to create something for my website with AI than do it myself? A: Yes, but the output will be the same as every other content and a bit bland and inhuman

Q: Will it be cheaper to use AI for my content than pay a content specialist? A: Yes, but it will be a false economy if it doesn't attract your customers (and you may spend a lot of time re-writing and editing anyway)

It would seem that if you want to reach out to human customers, then the uncanny valley is probably best avoided. Let's talk about your blog and other copy.