Totally. The interesting thing will be in a few years when software like advances to the point to where we've climbed the other side of the valley and this just looks like a stoned girl with a webcam.
After all, if it LOOKS human and it engages in vaguely human-like activities (though perhaps nothing too specific, lest it slip up and show itself to be obviously virtual), I'm sure it could convince a large number of people that it is. Suddenly we have a face for that chat bot that made the news a few months ago for talking lonely young men out of their personal information . . .
...looks like a stoned girl with a webcam...
Actually, I think decreasing the quality of the image would make it more realistic. Looping a smile, a giggle, and a smirking peek at the webcam itself, on top of a background of a slightly messy room (something dorm-like) that doesn't need to change, set the faking lighting to look like a screen on her face, and set up a textbot like the one mentioned at "http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3503465.stm.
The Eliza Effect meets LonelyGirl15.
[edit: removed HTML. My first post here, sorry.]
Although primitive this technology is pretty cool. I can imagine a handful of applications that could benefit with this. I'm guessing in limited bandwidth environments sending a photo and information on movements and letting the receiving end generate the facial animation might work pretty well as a substitute for live video.
A good use of layered action. A bunch of simple loops layered on top of each other to create a more complex emergent behavior.
Still deeply creepy! The smile loop was just wrong and they eyes were too simple. Real eyes focus and refocus hundreds of times per minute, these, even though they moved stayed dead and locked on one focus.
The eyes are one thing, but another is the hair. It was made to look good, but then when the head moves, the hair does not. Just causing the hair to move with head movement would go a long way, as well.
Maybe there's a reason why she's so interested in something as mundane as a mouse cursor? I mean, interested in minutiae, vaguely dopey grin, . . . I get the impression that if I watch her for long enough she'll get the munchies and wander off.
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=120425
http://www.androidscience.com/theuncannyvalley/proceedings20...