Science

Who Will Win Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers? A.I. Predicts

At least the Panthers aren't an AFC East team.

Getty Images / Joe Robbins

The Atlanta Falcons look to shake off their recent 1-3 run as they head to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers look to shake off their own inexplicable home woes, where they are just 1-2. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predict the Panthers will win Sunday.

At least the Falcons no longer have to play anyone from the AFC East. (We’d say “at least not until the Super Bowl,” but that’s unspeakably cruel on a number of levels, and we apologize.) Atlanta lost consecutively to the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots before finally breaking through against the New York Jets. The Carolina Panthers have had a relatively quiet march to 5-3, except for the fact almost all their success has been on the road. There’s a big recipe for weirdness here, basically.

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From their last meeting on Christmas Eve 2016.

Getty Images / Streeter Lecka

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 predicts the Panthers will win, though it’s not exactly certain. This is a low confidence pick with just 76 percent brainpower behind it.

Unanimous A.I.

The swarm likes the Panthers to win by 4-6 points, with 81 percent brainpower behind the choice. The Vegas line is actually Atlanta by 1.5 points, so this could be worth considering, but the original uncertainty that Carolina will win at all is cause for caution, according to Unanimous A.I.

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

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