Is Bran the Night King? A.I. Predicts 'Game of Thrones' Future

Game of Thrones has already confirmed one of the biggest longstanding fan theories, as seasons six and seven have left no doubt about the long-suspected truth of Jon Snow’s true parentage. There are still wilder theories out there to consider, and the upcoming final season might even prove some of them true. But which ones?

To figure this out, Inverse partnered with Unanimous A.I. to enlist a swarm of 50 Game of Thrones fans to predict the show’s final season. This use of so-called swarm intelligence has produced some scarily accurate results in the past, so let’s take a quick look at how it works. 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. Also, the closer a user puts the magnet to the puck, the greater the pulling force. This is where our swarm of users began to form a hive-mind. As the user sees the puck move toward an outcome, it triggers a psychological response. The user starts to readjust their decision-making, building toward a consensus. (Read more about [“swarm intelligence”]((https://www.inverse.com/article/34696-unanimous-ai-human-swarm-unu)).

Let’s start with maybe the craziest of all Game of Thrones theories, one that even show star Isaac Hempstead-Wright recently refuted: the idea that Bran Stark might somehow end up as the Night King.

Is Bran the Night King?

You can almost feel the wishful thinking in the swarm’s initial hesitation. Come on, it’s ridiculous, but wouldn’t it be the coolest? But no, the swarm soon moves toward a “no,” albeit not a confident one. Considering plenty others in the swarm looked certain Bran isn’t the Night King, probably best not to be too hard on this one.

Who is Azor Ahai?

On the other hand, there really ought to be someone who turns out to be Azor Ahai, the reborn Lord of Light in Melisandre’s religion. But the swarm isn’t too impressed with any of the likely choices for the wielder of the sword Lightbringer against the White Walkers. While the hive-mind looked tempted by the possibility of Jon Snow, the consensus is that none of these characters are in line to fulfill this all-important role. Maybe the swarm is a big fan of the theory that Azor Ahai is actually the Hound.

Is Cersei Really Pregnant?

With Cersei, never assume anything is as it seems. The question of whether she’s really pregnant is one of the big mysteries coming out of this season, as it’s either the next part of her life-defining prophecy realized or part of a larger gambit to consolidate her control over Westeros. The swarm is pretty convinced it’s the former, with most falling between high and low confidence that, yes, she really is pregnant.