Uncanny Valley (Uncanny Valley)
The uncanny valley phenomenon is when people become robots or Feelings toward non-humansIt is a robotics theory related to . It was introduced by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970. but that already existed It relies heavily on the concept of Ernst Anton Jentsch's Das Unheimliche (The Scary Thing, The Awesome Thing) from 1906.
The uncanny valley can be easily spotted in some 3D computer animations. Representative works include the Thomas and Friends (1984) series, which also aired in Korea, and the 3D animation film The Polar Express (2004).
Recently, the uncanny valley theory has been applied to virtual actors appearing in movies. Computer graphics have advanced tremendously compared to before, but some critics believe that using them to bring dead actors back to life is not an option. It also raised questions about whether it was ethical.
Theory and Background
According to robotics engineer Mori's theory, as robots become more and more human-like, the affinity humans feel for robots increases. However, the theory is that once a certain point is reached, it suddenly changes into a strong feeling of rejection, and when the appearance and behavior of the robot becomes almost indistinguishable from that of a human, the likeability increases again.
At this time, the area where there is a feeling of resistance to the appearance of robots between robots that resemble humans and robots that are almost identical to humans is called the uncanny valley. This explains the failure to elicit the emotions necessary for interaction between humans and robots.
This phenomenon is explained as follows: in the case of robots that do not resemble humans, human-like characteristics are easily revealed, and likability increases due to these human-like characteristics. However, entities that are very similar to humans tend to have characteristics that do not resemble humans more easily, so they feel strange and grotesque when compared to actual humans.
In conclusion, the robots that exist within the uncanny valley are no longer judged as robots that behave similarly to humans, but rather as people who resemble normal people but behave strangely.
criticism of the theory
However, some roboticists believe that it is only recently that human-like robots have become technically feasible, so The rightmost part has no basisHe criticizes the theory by claiming that David Hanson, who developed a robot head that resembles his girlfriend, said of the uncanny valley: “It’s completely pseudoscience, but people think it’s science.” He said.
Sarah Kistler, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, also questioned the scientific status of the uncanny valley, saying, “We have evidence that the uncanny valley is true, but we also have evidence that it is not true.” On the other hand, it is also suggested that the uncanny valley effect can be used as a means to instinctively identify and exclude the sick or mentally ill who are not beneficial to the group (especially in nurturing and support).
eternal dream, death
In science, death is a function of all living things. permanent stopIt means. As a result, the body completely loses homeostasis and life is lost. It is similar to fainting in that consciousness disappears, and is sometimes compared to sleep, such as calling it spiritual sleep. The opposite of death is birth, which means the beginning of life.
In this way, the emotions felt toward something that resembles a human will vary depending on the individual. What I will describe today The uncanny valley and human deathIt is related to Recently, there has been an increase in broadcast projects using the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence and XR technology to remember deceased people. We would like to find out about this.
People who came back through the screen,
SBS AI VS Human, Kim Gwang-seok edition
He is a Korean singer, songwriter, and folk singer who is praised for expressing the life and emotions of Koreans in the sweetest way. He is an artist worthy of being called a singer, a singing poet, and a singing philosopher, and he is a singer who remains as an older brother, older brother, and uncle to the public along with the singer Kim Gwang-seok.
The teaser video released ahead of the first broadcast in January 2021 stimulated anticipation by showing a scene where Kim Kwang-seok, who passed away in 1996, singing Kim Beom-soo's 'I Miss You', which was released in 2002. This was implemented by artificial intelligence called Michang AI, and this AI can imitate the voice of any singer by simply inputting sheet music through hundreds of thousands of learning sessions.
What attracts attention is that it is not a simple voice recognition technology that copies, edits and pastes existing voices, but can sing with emotions like a human. In response, the production team said, “Although he is no longer with us, we hoped that we could again hear the voice that the public misses.”
Mnet's AI music project. once again, turtle side
Leader Turtleman, a singer-songwriter, wrote, composed, and produced numerous hit songs. However, due to the sudden death of leader Turtleman, the time they could spend with the public was short-lived. Still, there are many people who still remember the turtle's songs. The charm of Turtles is that they have unique musicality that other groups do not have.
In addition to songs about love, they had themes in various fields such as employment, shopping, self-reflection, travel, memories, etc. Their hit songs were very unique in that they were based on interest in human life and spirit rather than love.
The appearance, unique facial expressions, and gestures of the Turtleman in his late 30s were recreated under the assumption that he is still alive in 2020. In the case of the voice, there are parts that are not the same as those recorded by Turtleman, so there are places where the voice was synthesized, but it was restored almost perfectly. The face of a male dancer with a body similar to that of Turtleman was filmed in front of a green screen while he was alive and then his face was created.
MBC's VR documentary, I Met You.
Since longing is not necessarily limited to celebrities who passed away young, MBC also used VR technology to cover the meeting between a daughter and her mother who passed away early. That's the MBC documentary I Met You, which aired on February 6, 2020.
It was an episode of MBC's special series, but the actual broadcast was aired as a special VR human documentary. It contains the story of Na-yeon Kang (7 years old), who sadly passed away four years ago from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and her mother, Ji-seong Jang, until they met in the world of virtual reality.
The running time is 52 minutes, but the actual filming took 6 months, and a production cost of over 100 million won was spent to make the two meet. And this documentary won the ABU Award in the TV documentary category in December 2020.
Because the response at home and abroad was very good, it was confirmed that Season 2 will be aired in 2021 to commemorate MBC's 60th anniversary. In the broadcasts on the 21st and 28th, with the subtitle 'Romance', a story about husband Kim Jeong-su meeting his wife Seong Ji-hye, who passed away due to illness, was aired, and in the February 4th broadcast, the story of Kim Yong-gyun, who passed away in an accident at the Taean Thermal Power Plant, was aired. It was aired.
Aura and Limits
We unconsciously or unintentionally have respect and reverence for the original. For example, we already know Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa through introductions and image files in various media, but the act of going to the Louvre Museum in France to see the original is the act of going to the Louvre Museum in France. and previous postThe aura briefly mentioned appears.
Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art lacks one element: its presence at the time and place where it occurred. one-time presenceam. This is called the uniqueness of the original, and unfortunately, this is not present in reproductions. In this way, I think that not only works of art but also the aura of humans exists.
Aura, which originated from Walter Benjamin's book, Artwork in the Age of Technical Reproduction, is said to have human desire and emotion for the original, and to feel an aura over it. Therefore, aura is related to the attitude of accepting a certain medium, and Walter Benjamin's aesthetics is called reception aesthetics.
For example, let's consider the case where Kim Kwang-seok's restored song is expressed as having no aura. It is not that the audience feels the sacred or indescribable energy that Kim Gwang-seok creates on stage. The emotions and impressions of the audience listening to the music on the actual stage felt different from Kim Gwang-seok's stage on the replicated stage, and that moment may explain the aura.
Kim Gwang-seok's song that he sang while he was alive is a one-time presence and the uniqueness of the original as explained earlier, so no matter how much the same Kim Gwang-seok comes back, it is a replica and cannot have an aura.
Ethical issues briefly mentioned in the Star Wars case earlier can also be pointed out as another limitation, and since what has been copied has passed through the hands of other humans, the possibility of distortion due to human bias and security vulnerabilities can also be problems. .
Significance and Conclusion
So, couldn't the cloned things have their own aura?
Benjamin's aesthetics of acceptance can be reflected in the paintings of pop art master Andy Warhol, which suggests that Benjamin deauthorizationBecause it was expected. The biggest characteristics of Warhol's work are that reproduction technology was used in its production and that everyday materials are repeated like symbols within the work.
However, although it is a duplicate, its unique presence, or aura, remains. For example, if you look at the Campbell Soup series, which is mass-produced and consumed by modern people, the detailed descriptions of each can are slightly different, and there are also differences in texture. Even cloned objects can have their own aura.
As viewers of the documentary, we cannot fully grasp or feel the opportunity to meet her daughter, given to a mother who suffered so much sorrow that she could not even dare to put it in words or describe it. Therefore, it is not easy for Nayeon's appearance experienced in VR to approach us as an aura.
I wanted to see you even in a dream, but I couldn't meet you in a dream.
In my dreams, Nayeon doesn't smile.
Maybe it's because of my guilt, but the eyes always show resentment.
I met Nayeon, who called me with a smile.
Although it was only a short time, it was a very happy time.
Like I had a dream I always wanted to have.And the laughter of my three lovely children
He is filling a lot of the empty spots left by our Nayeon.
So I'm not sad anymore.Rather than missing Nayeon and feeling pain,
Nayeon’s mother, Jang Ji-seong’s blogExcerpt from
I want to live a life that loves more and laughs a lot with the three children next to me.
I think that way, I will be able to be proud when I meet Nayeon.
However, beyond the term aura, Nayeon, who gave her mother the power of comfort and healing, is no longer a clone, but is simply a young daughter. It was not data that existed virtually on the screen, but a face of longing that appeared in the world for a moment.
I think this is the intention of the programs introduced earlier, and I hope that more content that conveys the spirit of comforting people will be produced through the advancement of technology.
Tags
- AI VS Human, VR, XR, turtle, Gwangseok Kim, met you, once again, documentary, Walter Benjamin, Andy Warhol