Tanja Sihvonen
Papers
2
Total Citations
36
H-Index
2
About
Tanja Sihvonen is a media and cultural studies scholar whose research sits at the intersection of technology, voice, and the uncanny. Her work explores how artificial intelligences and robots communicate with humans, focusing on the powerful role of voice as a tool of agency—both human and non-human. Sihvonen’s most influential contribution is her 2018 paper, “Voices from the Uncanny Valley: How Robots and Artificial Intelligences Talk Back to Us,” which has garnered 25 citations. In this work, she traces the long history of talking heads, statues, and fortune-tellers, from Thomas Edison’s late 19th-century talking dolls to modern consumer robots, revealing how the illusion of life through speech has captivated and unsettled audiences for centuries. A related paper with the same core argument has also earned 11 citations, underscoring the lasting impact of her insights. Sihvonen’s research is essential reading for anyone interested in human-robot interaction, media archaeology, and the cultural dimensions of AI. Her work challenges us to listen carefully to what machines say—and what their voices reveal about our own anxieties and desires.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Voices from the Uncanny Valley11 citations · 2018