> Is it a crime if you generate CSAM just for ones own consumption?

Yep. If it isn't obviously fake (i.e. a cartoon) the possession is illegal whether you produce it yourself or not. Though it's probably safe to say that you're unlikely to get caught if you're not sharing those images with other people.

What if it's in the "uncanny valley"?

My point is that the courts are going to have a hard time with this.

Well, the US law says "[when it] appears virtually indistinguishable [from the real deal]" (insert appropriate legal terminology on either end, but the three quoted words are the relevant bit.

I think we're in agreement that the advancement of the technology is going to make this topic come back up for legal debate. When the gulf between CGI and real photography was large, it was pretty straightforward. Not so much now.

I think the hard part is there is close to no way to know its fake. But you could also that if its so easy to fake photo realistic content, why would you ever make real content.