Where Is The 'What? No. I Am A Real Person' Audio Originally From? TikTok's Viral 'Uncanny Valley' Sound Explained

Recently, TikTokers have been obsessed with the uncanny valley after the virality of the uncanny valley makeup trend.

Now, TikTokers are using a filter that mimics the makeup trend along with a creepy new lip dub audio in which a woman eerily says, What? No. I am a real person. But where does the audio come from? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'What? No. I Am a Real Person' Video?

Back in 2013, TIME published an article titled "Meet the Robot Telemarketer Who Denies She’s A Robot." The article shares numerous interactions that TIME magazine writers had with a robot telemarketer trying to sell them health insurance. In particular, the TIME writers attempt to get the robot telemarketer to admit it's a robot, which it will not do.

One article contributor in particular, the TIME Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer, asks the robot several times to say the phrase, "I'm not a robot." Each time she refuses, including a time when she laughs and insists, "What? No. I am a real person" and suggests they may have a bad connection.

How Is 'What? No. I Am a Real Person' Used In Memes?

The audio was uploaded to YouTube in 2013 and only became the subject of memes in the 2020s. Some of the earliest memes to use the audio are animations posted online in 2022 that use the audio to show one character asking another character if they're real. The other character, of course, insists they're a real person.

This March, the audio was remixed and uploaded to TikTok, where it went viral. Mainly, TikTokers began uploading lip dub videos to the sound where they wear creepy makeup or use filters to give themselves an eerie appearance. They then lip-sync to the line of dialogue to suggest they're inhuman.

For the full history of the What? No. I Am a Real Person audio, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.