Science

Who Will Win Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys? A.I. Predicts

It's a rematch of last year's playoffs.

Getty Images / Stacy Revere

Two of the NFL’s most historic teams have some recent past with each other, as the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys meet in Texas for a rematch of one of last year’s playoff games. The game ended in heartbreak last year for the home team, and a hive mind of about 30 NFL fans expect a repeat Sunday, predicting the Packers will win their rematch.

The Packers are coming off a blowout victory over the Chicago Bears in last week’s Thursday night game, a nice statement win after three weeks of figuring things out. The Cowboys, on the other hand, look to bounce back from a shootout loss to the Los Angeles Rams that left them 2-2 on the year.

Subscribe to the Inverse newsletter. Trust us, we’re from the future.

From their playoff game earlier this year.

Getty Images / Joe Robbins

To predict the result of this and other games, Unanimous A.I. used what’s known as swarm intelligence to forecast the week’s slate. More than 40 NFL fans worked together as a hive mind to make picks. As you can see in the animation below, each participant controlled a little golden magnet and used it to drag the puck toward the answer they thought was the most likely outcome. As the users saw the puck move toward a particular outcome, it triggers a psychological response. They readjust their decision-making, building toward a consensus. Here’s Unanimous A.I. founder Lloyd Rosenberg explaining swarm intelligence at a recent TEDx Talk.

Unanimous A.I. has made some scarily accurate predictions in the past using swarm intelligence, as our previous article explains. For instance, the swarm went a perfect 7-0 in its most recommended picks for a recent English Premier League slate.

Unanimous A.I.

It takes the hive a little time to make up its mind, but it ultimately picked the Green Bay Packers. It’s not the most certain pick, considering it’s made with low confidence and only 72 percent collective brainpower.

Unanimous A.I.

A two-point spread probably shouldn’t affect things too much, but it’s enough to get the swarm’s collective brainpower up to 84 percent behind the Packers.

The game kicks off 1 p.m. Eastern Sunday on CBS.

Related Tags