AI Innovations Unleashed
Digital Afterlife: Tales from the Machine: Part 3 - The Uncanny Valley of the Dolls
17 Oct 2025
AI Innovations Unleashed: The Uncanny Valley of the Dolls (Digital Afterlife Ep. 3)Join Dr. JR and cognitive scientist Dr. Lena Varga as they move from digital ghosts to confront the physical reality of Embodied AI. We break down Masahiro Mori's classic 1970 psychological hypothesis, explaining why hyper-realistic robots are deeply unsettling—it's a fundamental "categorization failure" in the human brain.We dive into the staggering multi-trillion-dollar forecasts driving the Humanoid Robot Market and examine real-world success stories: from the deliberately non-anthropomorphic companion ElliQ to South Korea's highly adopted Hyodol care robot. The core ethical debate: When does realistic design cross the line into emotional manipulation in caregiving? Dr. Varga discusses why experts like Iyad Rahwan insist we must regulate AI as an autonomous "actor" in our environment, not just a tool.Plus, Nex opens with a bizarre anecdote about conga-line micro-robots!Tune in next week for the series finale: Episode 4, "The Oracle of the End," where we challenge Predictive AI and the burden of knowing the future.
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
Eric Larsen on the emergence and potential of AI in healthcare
10 Dec 2025
McKinsey on Healthcare
Reducing Burnout and Boosting Revenue in ASCs
10 Dec 2025
Becker’s Healthcare -- Spine and Orthopedic Podcast
Dr. Erich G. Anderer, Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of Perioperative Services at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn
09 Dec 2025
Becker’s Healthcare -- Spine and Orthopedic Podcast
Dr. Nolan Wessell, Assistant Professor and Well-being Co-Director, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Spine Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine
08 Dec 2025
Becker’s Healthcare -- Spine and Orthopedic Podcast
NPR News: 12-08-2025 2AM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-08-2025 1AM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now