Macaques Feel Uncanny Valley Effect from 3D Avatars

A study published in PLOS Biology reveals that rhesus macaques experience the "uncanny valley" effect when viewing realistic 3D animations ^[1]. Researchers used a deep learning tool called MacAction to generate these avatars ^[1][2]. This phenomenon, where near-perfect replicas cause discomfort, was previously thought to be a primarily human experience ^[3].

The findings provide new insights into the social vision and perception shared by humans and primates ^[1]. By tracking the monkeys' reactions, the team observed a clear dip in affinity for highly realistic but imperfect models ^[2]. This study offers a powerful framework for future cognitive research into the evolutionary roots of social cognition ^[3].