Science

Who Will Win Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers? A.I. Predicts

Two different kinds of must-win game.

by Alasdair Wilkins
Getty Images / Streeter Lecka

The Miami Dolphins need to snap a two-game losing streak before their season fades away. The Carolina Panthers look to take care of business to keep pace behind the New Orleans Saints for the NFC South crown. A hive mind of about 40 NFL fans predicts the Panthers will win Monday.

The Panthers look good at 6-3, even if the interception-prone Cam Newton is still working back toward his past most valuable player form. The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, know they have pretty much seen the best they can expect from Jay Cutler, and… well, he’s been fine. But it feels like he will probably need to be more than that to beat an excellent Panthers defense, unless the Dolphins can tap into whatever weird magic the Chicago Bears did when they shocked Carolina 17-3.

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From their last meeting in 2013.

Getty Images / Mike Ehrmann

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 30 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 swarm is confident — highly confident, even — in the Panthers, with 84 percent brainpower behind the pick to win. Apart from what looks like one lone magnet pulling toward Miami with high confidence, pretty much the entire hive mind mind is behind Carolina here.

Unanimous A.I.

The swarm predicts the Panthers will win by seven to nine points, with 87 percent brainpower behind that pick. The Vegas line favors the Panthers by nine, so probably best to be cautious with this one.

The game kicks off 8:30 p.m. Eastern Monday on ESPN.

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