Who Will Win Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks? A.I. Predicts
Time for a good, old-fashioned bird battle! (Also a playoff rematch.)
It only happens a few times a season, but two of the NFL’s many illustrious bird-themed teams meet Monday in a game where both teams look to establish their playoff positioning. Who will emerge victorious, the Seattle Seahawks or the Atlanta Falcons? A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts the Seahawks will win.
To do so, the Seahawks will have to lean harder than ever on their huge fan advantage known as the 12th Man, because they are dealing with massive injuries to quite a few of the first 11. Star cornerback Richard Sherman is out for the season, the most serious of a bunch of injuries suffered during last week’s previous bird battle against the Arizona Cardinals.
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From their meeting in the 2017 divisional round.
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 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.
The swarm predicts Seattle will win here, though it’s only a low confidence pick with 76 percent brainpower behind the selection.
The hive mind predicts Seattle winning by four to six points, with 84 percent brainpower behind that choice. The current Vegas lines have either team favored by about a point.
The game kicks off 8:30 p.m. Eastern Monday on ESPN.
