Sure, online dating is a hellscape. But in this new online dating game, that’s a good thing.

Developer Ben Berman and designer Miguel Perez created a game that seeks to expose the inherent bias that fuels dating app matching algorithms. The pair are winners of Mozilla’s Creative Media Awards, which enabled the work.

The best part of the game, besides the admirable mission and all, is that the game is based around a dating app — for monsters.

The new game/dating app simulator is called MonsterMatch. Yep, the name rocks. The simulator launched Wednesday, and you can play it here.

Berman said that he chose monsters to make his point about algorithmic bias because the jarring uniqueness of the monsters allows users to reconsider their ordinary experiences.

“People are so wonderfully different that monsters let me capture it better than using real pictures,” Berman said. “I wanted to use monsters to exaggerate the diversity we lose when algorithms ‘guess’ what we’re really looking for.” 

When you open the simulator, you’re prompted — as in all dating apps — to create a profile. Choose a body: would you prefer to be an arachnid, a demon, or some other globulous form? Would you prefer that your eyes be X’s, or creepy orbs? I named my lady of the night “Susie Spider.”

Once you’ve created your persona, MonsterMatch will surface other creatures for you. You can swipe yes or no on characters like a needy vampire or a dunking demon. Then, if you’ve got a match, you’ll get to chat with your fellow monster or monstress — and see if your connection is more than fur, scale, or tentacle deep.

SEE ALSO: Tinder has nothing on this mobile game about dating literal demons from hell

The biggest difference from traditional dating apps beyond the monsters (which, let’s be real — is not so different!) is that the app will give you little knowledge tidbits about how your swipes might predict your future outcomes. 

“When you play through the game, pay close attention to how the monsters look, because there’s an algorithm that’s always watching and making choices for you behind the scenes,” Berman said.

Dating app swipes can happen so fast, that sometimes, we may not even be conscious of who we’re saying yes or no to, beyond the few seconds it takes us to decide. 

“I’ve seen people swipe through Tinder and Bumble,” Berman said. “There are so many profiles and it goes by so fast it all becomes a blur. With monsters, I can make every profile cool and funny, like a unicorn that needs to meet virgins because those are literally the only people that can see unicorns.”

To emphasize all the unique individuals we — and subsequently the algorithm — bid farewell in a single swipe, MonsterMatch stops you in your tracks, and says, “hey, because you swiped yes on these three profiles, we will show you more like these monsters, and less like these other monsters.”

This concept, as illustrated through monster swiping, is called “collaborative filtering.” The same logic that gives you recommendations about the movies and books you like, based on what you’ve already downloaded, also governs the people you might like on dating apps. 

Collaborative filtering may be extremely prevalent in our digital lives, but there’s a downside beyond the opportunity cost of missing out on love based on a single second of assessment. 

Studies have shown that collaborative filtering can exacerbate bias. Because algorithms take multiple factors into account, a dating app might start filtering out potential matches for troubling reasons that betray a person, or a machine’s, unconscious bias.

“Collaborative filtering can have unintended consequences, especially when the algorithm is recommending human beings and not just movies or products,” the developers’ blog post reads. “The algorithm can narrow options based on other people’s prior choices, in turn discriminating against racial, ethnic and sexual orientation minorities.”

Mashable reached out to Tinder and Bumble to get their take on how they mitigate racial bias when showing people matches. Tinder declined to comment, instead pointing Mashable to a blog post about its algorithm where it writes “We don’t care (or store) whether you’re black, white, magenta or blue…  we think the party gets better when great people, from all walks of life, can get together. Our algorithm is designed to be open and we love our results.”

Berman hopes that the app will get people to think a bit differently about the algorithms that run our love lives, and our lives in general. But he also co-created MonsterMatch to give people a chance to commiserate with the ridiculous highs and lows of meeting monsters online, whether imagined, and real.

“Dating apps are a real slog sometimes,” Berman said. “This game lets you vent that frustration a little on a pretentious Elf who messaged you or a sex-crazed giant Venus flytrap who just won’t leave you alone.”

Who hasn’t been there, right?

UPDATE: May 22, 2019, 6:18 p.m. EDT 

This article has been updated to include additional context from Tinder about its algorithm.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has proclaimed unfaltering adoration for his electric car company’s Autopilot feature on highways. But after a recent update meant to make it easier to use the semi-autonomous system, not everyone is so keen on the advanced-driving assistance tool.

Review service and publication Consumer Reports blasted Navigate on Autopilot on Wednesday following Tesla’s updates to the assistance tool last month. The automatic lane-changing and speed-suggesting system, which only works on certain highways, had several issues. 

“We found that Navigate on Autopilot lagged far behind a human driver’s skill set,” the publication’s Keith Barry wrote.

One problem CR found was that the decisions Navigate on Autopilot made weren’t always the best or safest, requiring the driver to intervene instead of letting the car switch lanes without driver confirmation each time. Test drivers saw the car make unsafe lane changes, cut off drivers, quickly brake, and struggle with merging. Some computer-automated passing didn’t comply with road laws and procedures.

Before the April update, Navigate on Autopilot required the driver to confirm it wanted the car to do certain things every time the system suggested a lane change or passing opportunity. Now drivers can cede more control over to the computer assistant under certain settings. If a driver turns off turn-signal confirmation for lane changes, the screen tells them, “Disabling the turn signal confirmation does NOT alleviate the driver of their responsibility to keep their hands on the wheel and carefully monitor the vehicle’s surroundings.”

As Tesla pointed out, CR was using an optional setting and not the default Autopilot setting. Tesla cited the millions of miles and automated lane changes on Navigate on Autopilot that have been successful. 

Beyond the Navigate tool, Autopilot has been scrutinized for its misleading name and abilities — it’s only a semi-autonomous driver assistance feature with auto-steering and advanced cruise control and still requires drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel. The system tries to make this clear and even alerts drivers, “This does not make your vehicle autonomous.” But misunderstandings continue with the tool.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk’s favorite Autopilot feature just got updated

With another fatal incident in a Tesla in March with Autopilot engaged, (the National Transportation Safety Board found in a preliminary report that the driver put on Autopilot 10 seconds before crashing while speeding) Tesla’s ambitious full autonomous goals for 2020 don’t look as likely. 

As CR put it, “Despite Tesla’s promises that it will have full self-driving technology by the end of next year, our experience with Navigate on Autopilot suggests it will take longer.”

The Mayor of Flavortown’s long track record of being an overall good Guy was immortalized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Guy Fieri was honored with a star on Wednesday, making him the third celebrity chef, after Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay, to receive a star. 

“How you’ve managed to work nonstop, build an empire, take care of your family and friends, and still find out how to be an amazing father is truly inspiring,” his son Hunter said during the ceremony. “People always ask me, ‘How does he do it? How does he manage work and family time? What’s it like having the mayor of Flavortown as a father?’ It’s quite simple. He puts his family first. He makes sure we are never hungry.”

“We’re never hungry!” Fieri laughed during his son’s speech. 

SEE ALSO: People think Guy Fieri is a better philanthropist than Elon Musk

During his own speech, Fieri thanked his family and the Food Network for their support. 

“I’ve had a wild ride, I really have,” he said. “Everyone that’s here, please recognize in some shape or form, you had a part in this star happening … That’s our star. Seriously, that’s our star. I want you to come visit it, I want you to come and visit our star. I wanted to thank you for just taking one day and letting Hollywood become Flavortown.” 

Known for starring in and producing the beloved Food Network staple Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Fieri made a name for himself when he won Food Network Star in 2006. His platinum blond hair and endless patterned button-down shirts captured the hearts of food lovers. He started out in the culinary world as a pretzel vendor at 10-years-old and has since built an empire of restaurants in Los Angeles, Cancun, Las Vegas, and many other cities. 

In addition to his sprawling collection of eateries and TV shows, Fieri also has soft spot for philanthropy. He still lives in his hometown of Santa Rosa, California and has cooked meals for victims of wildfires in the area for the past two years. In an interview with Variety, Fieri said he saw “mankind at its best” while provided meals. 

“You know when you’re cranking out 5,000, 10,000 meals a day it cuts through all the celebrity bullshit,” he said.

The first in a series of congressional hearings on facial recognition technology took place on Wednesday, and it brought about a rare occurrence in Washington: agreement between Democrats and Republicans.

The House Oversight Committee’s hearing was focused on the impact facial recognition has had on civil rights and liberties from its use among law enforcement. A panel of experts, including face recognition researchers, legal professionals, and former law enforcement, spoke of the threat of mass surveillance. The panel was nearly in full agreement that the use of facial recognition technology in the field must be halted immediately.

“At a minimum, Congress should pass a moratorium on the police use of facial recognition as the capacity for abuse, lack of oversight, and technical immaturity poses great risk, especially for marginalized communities,” said Joy Buolamwini, an algorithmic bias researcher at MIT and  founder of the Algorithmic Justice League.

“Face recognition gives law enforcement a power that they’ve never had before,” explained Clare Garvie, a senior associate at Georgetown University Law Center’s Center on Privacy & Technology. 

Garvie pointed out to the committee that one of the issues with facial recognition isn’t just the advances in the technology alone. “Garbage data,” as she called it, is often submitted into facial recognition systems by law enforcement because there’s no oversight or regulation on the use of the technology. 

An outrageously absurd use case was submitted as an example of such garbage data. The NYPD recently used a photo of Woody Harrelson along with facial recognition software to find a lookalike accused of stealing beer.

Buolamwini, along with the former president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Dr. Cedric Alexander, backed how the misuse of the data negates even the most advanced breakthroughs in facial recognition technology.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan outright floated the idea of hitting “pause” on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is 3D-scanning people’s bodies in exchange for gift cards

Amazon was frequently mentioned by the panel during the hearing. The company has its own facial recognition product, called Rekognition, which has been intensely criticized. The Seattle-based ecommerce giant has already sold its facial recognition technology to local law enforcement around the country as well as to the FBI. 

During the hearing, Neema Singh Guliani of the ACLU specifically brought up the organization’s testing of Amazon Rekognition where it had misidentified 28 Congresspeople, including members of the Oversight Committee.

Interestingly, a vote was held among Amazon shareholders on the facial recognition technology as the congressional hearing took place. The proposals, which sought to regulate the sale of Rekognition and investigate its use, failed. 

“That just means that it’s more important that Congress acts,” said Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez in response to the Amazon shareholder vote.

“Congress must act now to regulate facial recognition technologies because fourth amendment litigation is inadequate to address the rapidly changing world of mass surveillance,” urged Professor Andrew Ferguson of the University of the District of Columbia. “The fourth amendment will not save us.” 

“I don’t want to see an authoritarian surveillance state whether it’s run by a government or whether it’s run by five corporations,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in reference to Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook.

Europe’s GDPR was brought up during the hearing as an example of effective regulation that could be seen in the states. For example, Facebook now makes facial recognition opt-in for users in the EU due to privacy laws.

Some local politicians are taking facial recognition matters into their own hands. Last week, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed a citywide ban on governmental use of the technology for surveillance.

“You’ve hit the sweet spot that brings progressives and conservatives together,” said Republican Rep. Mark Meadows to those at the hearing. “When you have a diverse group on this committee, as diverse as you might see on the polar ends, I’m here to tell you we’re serious about this, and let’s get together and work on legislation.”

“The time is now before it gets out of control,” urged Rep. Meadows.

The stakes are high for Claire Saffitz, the pastry chef helming the show Gourmet Makes on Bon Appétit, but her standards “have lowered.” 

After attempting to recreate various confounding junk food treats, Saffitz takes on arguably her biggest challenge of the series — the classic Dorito (Nacho Cheese flavor, not Cool Ranch.) 

From the beginning, there are doubts from her coworkers — and herself — that she will be able to nail the classic cheesy bite. She compares it to attempting to re-create Coca-Cola, with a tightly-guarded, lab-made secret flavor. 

To make the flavored powder, Saffitz needs to recreate the ingredient listed in Doritos. She tweaks all possible combinations of spices, and jokes about creating a “Dorito Spice Blend” (ala the Trader Joe’s everything bagel seasoning) that they would “probably” end in a lawsuit.

The attempts to find the perfect airiness that the original tortilla chip is known for is stressful. She plays around with everything from drying time, to oven heat, to frying oil temp. After the last batch comes out overdone, Saffitz moves through the “seven stages of grief into acceptance” and tries again the next day.  

In the end though, she says it feels awesome and gratifying to recreate something that could seemingly only be produced through sheer science. 

After all, it wouldn’t be Gourmet Makes if Saffitz didn’t suffer through the process at least a little.