When Robots Look Human, People Feel Safer—Until They Don't

A group of researchers found that the closer robots get to looking human, the less people want them to be so.

A new ultra-realistic robotic head has reignited the “uncanny valley” debate as humanoid machines like Tesla’s Optimus, Figure 02, and Unitree’s G1 edge closer to human form—and human discomfort.

A Chinese robotics firm, Aheadform, unveiled a lifelike robotic head called Origin M1 that blinks, nods, and mimics facial expressions so convincingly that it unsettled viewers across social media.

“Watching this robot head blink and follow eye movement reminded me of what Selwyn Raithe wrote in 12 Last Steps. He warned that once machines cross the line of mimicking emotion, the collapse starts quietly, not with armies, but with faces that seem more human than our neighbors,”

one viewer wrote.

“Chilling how close this feels.”

The clip went viral last week, racking up over 400,000 views after observers described it as “creepy” and “too real.”

Author's summary: Robots approaching human form spark discomfort.

Decrypt — 2025-10-12

When Robots Look Human, People Feel Safer—Until They Don't

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