Science

Who Will Win Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers? A.I. Predicts

Probably best to expect a close one.

Getty Images / Dustin Bradford

The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers kicked off the season against each other, with the Broncos taking a 24-21 victory. The margins could well be just as thin again when they meet in Los Angeles this Sunday. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts Denver will again emerge victorious.

The Chargers were never as bad as their 0-4 start indicated, and they have managed to turn some early close losses into more recent close wins. Other than a 14-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers have had every game go down to the wire this season. The Broncos, for their part, are just trying to regroup after dropping a shocking loss to the previously winless New York Giants.

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From their game earlier this season.

Getty Images / Dustin Bradford

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 Louis 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.

The hive mind doesn’t feel amazing about picking the Broncos here. They are only a low confidence choice, with 79 percent collective brainpower behind the pick.

Unanimous A.I.

The one-point spread really shuldn’t make much of a difference, and so again it’s a low confidence pick for Denver with 79 percent collective brainpower.

The game kicks off 4:25 p.m. Eastern Sunday on CBS.

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