The media inequality, uncanny mountain, and the singularity is far from near: Iwaa and Sophia robot versus a real human being

Design of Artificial Intelligence and robotics habitually assumes that adding more humanlike features improves the user experience, mainly kept in check by suspicion of uncanny effects. Three strands of theorizing are brought together for the first time and empirically put to the test: Media Equation (and in its wake, Computers Are Social Actors), Uncanny Valley theory, and as an extreme of human-likeness assumptions, the Singularity. We measured the user experience of real-life visitors of a number of seminars who were checked in either by Smart Dynamics' Iwaa, Hanson's Sophia robot, Sophia's on-screen avatar, or a human assistant. Results showed that human -likeness was not in appearance or behavior but in attributed qualities of being alive. Media Equation, Singularity, and Uncanny hypotheses were not confirmed. We discuss the imprecision in theorizing about human -likeness and rather opt for machines that 'function adequately.'

Automated summary

The design of artificial intelligence and robotics typically assumes that adding more humanlike features can enhance the user experience, but this is often met with suspicion due to uncanny effects. This study brings together three theories - Media Equation, Uncanny Valley theory, and the Singularity - and empirically tests them for the first time. The results show that human-likeness is not determined by appearance or behavior, but by the attributed qualities of being alive. This challenges the previous theories and suggests a focus on machines that function adequately.