Apple Vision Pro visionOS 27 update amid uncanny valley debate

Apple unveiled visionOS 27 for its Vision Pro mixed‑reality headset on 23 July 2026. The update introduces an animated Siri interface that appears as a floating AI sphere in the user's workspace, responding to eye contact and providing contextual answers. It also opens the operating system to third‑party spatial input devices, allowing motion controllers from partners such as DFRobot and MIKROE to be used with the headset.

The headset continues to attract discussion about its social impact. Critics point to the EyeSight feature, which projects a live view of the wearer’s eyes on the front panel, and to AI‑generated facial avatars that some describe as uncanny‑valley‑like deep‑fake representations. These concerns were highlighted in a cultural performance organized by IMPAKT in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 23 March 2024, exploring how AI and mixed reality affect human interaction.