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.
