Is this just another version of the uncanny valley? This time, I asked researchers who study the uncanny valley whether its principles could also apply to the digital realm. Welcome to the uncanny valley“The uncanny valley effect describes how we react emotionally when things start to seem increasingly human,” says Dr Steph Lay, a horror writer, psychologist, and expert on the uncanny. Even the slightest irregularity in someone’s gait can throw us off.”It’s these “small changes”, the barely-there glitches in a movement or smile or walk, that tip us into the uncanny valley. It might keep us sharper about what’s real and what’s not.