AI avatar interviewers draw 'uncanny valley' complaints in campus hiring

On October 3, 2026, IT之家 reported that the hashtag #AI Interview Uncanny Valley# climbed onto Weibo's trending list that day. As of the outlet's publication time, it ranked 25th with a heat score of 186,858. The report said that during the recent autumn recruitment season, a large number of companies have deployed AI digital human interviewers, and job seekers have been complaining about their stiff expressions and micro-expression monitoring, describing the process as cold algorithmic scoring.

According to feedback from Weibo users, these digital interviewers can blink and include speaking pauses, but their gaze appears empty and their micro-expressions are rigid, creating a “human-like yet not human” plastic feel that directly triggers perceptual conflict and physical discomfort. The system, the report added, uses a camera to track pupil movement and facial muscle tension in real time, converting physiological reactions such as delayed answers and a trembling speaking pace into scores. IT之家 also explained the “Uncanny Valley Effect”: when a non-human entity — such as a robot, virtual character, AI voice, or digital human — closely resembles a human in appearance, voice, or behavior but still has subtle unnatural details, people's fondness can suddenly shift from liking to strong discomfort or even fear.

A similar topic appeared in July this year, when “AI face uncanny valley effect” also trended on Weibo, mainly in the context of AI short dramas. By the time of IT之家's report, the October 3 topic remained at No. 25 on the trending list with a heat score of 186,858.