The uncanny valley is really quite useful. I have long suspected I might prefer a recognizably robotic voice over a convincingly human robot voice. Now that t

The uncanny valley is really quite useful. I have long suspected I might prefer a recognizably robotic voice over a convincingly human robot voice. Now that this is a very real possibility, I'm more convinced than ever. This article is a bit fluffy and overblown, sure, but concerns about machines passing the Turing test in everyday interactions are still valid. AI is a tool, and we should be wary of placing it on the same level of agency as us (as this article arguably does in some ways), or we risk its artifice becoming invisible. An intentionally designed system becomes entrenched the moment people no longer see it as intentional. AI is a mirror, and it will reflect the values we put into it. Do we value the minor comfort of a convincing illusion over the assurance that we know who/what we're talking to?