MAF is one the better inventions for a motor. The old speed density computers back when fuel injection first came out where a table of set values that couldn't take into account environmental conditions. Those motors were hard to add performance to since back then it was hard to rewrite the ECU tables. (OBDI was the only game in town).

Now, MAF is much better because it allows the motor to dynamically change to the environment. Messing with that signal will either cause a LEAN or a RICH Condition. More Air = More Fuel, so if you trick the MAF to report more air than is going in, then you will have RICH condition, although the 02 sensors will rat out the MAF and the motor will DEFUEL to compensate for the mixed signals. This can cause a surging motor because the MAF and other sensors are battling each other.... Same thing can happen if an onxygen sensor is going bad.