- "Black Mirror" can be dark and dystopian, so it's surprising when people are inspired to copy the ideas in real life.
- But this is what the 24-year-old programmer and entrepreneur Julian Alexander did when he developed a dating app.
- His app Juliet matches people together with an expiration date.
- It's similar to the "Black Mirror" episode "Hang the DJ" where couples have a time limit to work out their compatibility.
- Alexander said he was tired of the traditional dating apps, so decided to shake things up.
In Season 4 of Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror," there's an episode called "Hang the DJ" where people are matched together, but their relationship is given an expiration date. The newly coupled pair can either choose to look at what their expiration is, or continue on oblivious until their digital "Coach" tells them their time is up.
It's hailed as one of the more wholesome episodes, with a relatively happy ending. One viewer liked it so much, he has seemingly created a dating app based on the matchmaking method.
Julian Alexander, a 24 year old programmer and entrepreneur, posted an AMA on Reddit a few days ago.
"For the past few months I've been building an AI matchmaker named Juliet to help you find your perfect match," he wrote in the post. "My friends and I were tired of all the dating apps currently on the market, endlessly swiping with little to no results. I decided to take matters into my own hands and shake things up."
Read more: All 19 episodes of 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best
Alexander's app is named Juliet. The idea is it only matches you with one person at a time, and will learn about your interactions, likes, and dislikes. If it deems it necessary, your match will expire, and Juliet will find you someone you're more compatible with. According to Alexander, the AI takes physical aspects into account as well as personality.
Speaking about his app to Forbes, Alexander said the urgency and unpredictability of the time element means people can be more focused on actually finding a match.
"Like when you see someone you're interested in, you have to make a move or you'll lose your chance," he said. He added that he's a big fan of "Black Mirror," and finds the role of technology in modern day life extremely important.
"That's why I wanted Juliet to merge technology and humanity," he said.
Reddit users were quick to point out the similarities, asking "Did you get your idea from Black Mirror's episode Hang the DJ?"
"This sounds like a person who loved Black Mirror for all the wrong reasons," another user wrote. "See you all in the cyber-dystopia."
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