A technical glitch during a Zoom call shouldn't be that big a deal, or lead someone to make a judgment about the person on the other end. But in actuality, glitches during face-to-face video calls—even when the glitch does not affect the transmission of information—can shatter the illusion of being across the table from the other person, evoking a creepy or eerie feeling known as "uncanniness."

This can have major implications in critical life events, new Cornell-led research has found. Minor audiovisual glitches during video calls negatively affect judgments in hiring decisions, and reduce trust in a telehealth provider.

And in a hugely consequential realm—parole hearings for incarcerated individuals—glitches were associated with a 12-percentage-point lower likelihood of someone being granted criminal parole.

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"And so when there's a glitch, you're right in that danger zone where it's almost perfect, but not quite—what has become known as the 'uncanny valley.' It triggers this switch in your brain where things feel just a little bit creepy," she said.

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