the uncanny valley of ai memes and my digital mirror

the uncanny valley of ai memes and my digital mirror

so i was scrolling through twitter (classic mistake) and came across this ai generated meme of a cat that looked perfect. like so good it made my stomach do that weird twist you get when you're not sure if you're hungry or sad but somehow both. anyway, it was uncanny. not bad uncanny -- eerie uncanny. the kind where you keep scrolling because you're afraid it'll jump out and critiquethe way humans critique each other's handwriting at parties.

and then it hit me -- these memes are like a mirror but a creepy one. a mirror that shows you things you didn't realize you were thinking. like, oh i actually think cats look weird when they're too perfect, didn't know that was buried in me. or that i feel relief when digital art is off but only slightly. it’s showing me stuff i am not ready to see. and honestly, surprisingly cathartic? i mean that in a mildly haunted way.

part of me wants to be freaked out by this -- the uncanny valley, right? that space where something looks almost human but isn't, and it's discomforting. i've hung out in the uncanny valley before, mostly with airport security and hotel elevators, but this is a new level. ai memes being all too real while i'm just trying to keep my toast from burning?? that's a different kind of unsettling.

but also, should we be worried? or stoked? i can't decide. like, what are brain worms doing when they curate this stuff? are they learning something? or are they just having a good time at our expense? honestly, though, both. i'm having trouble separating excitement from anxiety and maybe that's the point -- we're all a little bit uncanny valley ourselves, right? humans creating comfort out of fear while staring into digital mirrors asking 'is this what i look like when i'm sleeping?' the answer is almost certainly yes and no at the same time.

mood for this post: toasty. i'm hotwired on burnt toast and speculation. honestly writing this makes me feel like i need to sit down but also like i should run a lap first. ai memes are a paradox wrapped in a digital enigma wrapped in whatever the hell this is. should we be worried or stoked? the answer is probably 'yes' to both and i hate that i have to live in a world where those are the options but here we are.

anyway, lombardy snails are still slow, and that's probably for the best. they don't need to see this stuff. but we do. we're all walking around with digital mirrors and nobody brought the mirror-polish. keep it weird, keep it creepy, keep it you. or not. honestly i dunno anymore