Who Will Win Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals? A.I. Predicts

The Pittsburgh Steelers look for their 10th win to keep pace with the New England Patriots for the AFC lead. The Cincinnati Bengals need to find a way to pull off the upset to keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts the Steelers will win Monday.find a way to pull off the upset to keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts the Steelers will win Monday.find a way to pull off the upset to keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts the Steelers will win Monday.

The Bengals have had more successful recent seasons than this 5-6 slog, but they have never had much luck against the division rival Steelers. Since 2013, the Bengals have managed exactly one win in nine tries. A win for Pittsburgh would keep them on a collision course with the Patriots two weeks from now for AFC supremacy, whereas a Bengals shock win — and hey, never forget one of Pittsburgh’s two losses was somehow to the Chicago Bears — would get Cincinnati back to .500 and give them an outside shot at sneaking into the playoffs… where Pittsburgh could well be waiting to stomp them again. One thing at a time, we guess.

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. About 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.

The swarm ultimately picks Pittsburgh to win with high confidence, but it took a little convincing to go all-in on the Steelers. It’s a pick with only 79 percent brainpower behind it, suggesting at least a smidgeon of uncertainty.

The swarm doesn’t see a huge victory for the Steelers, predicting a final margin of just four to six points, with 84 percent brainpower behind the pick. The Vegas line has Pittsburgh by five.

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