The Arizona Cardinals have had more than their fair share of brutal losses this season, including likely season-ending injuries to star running back David Johnson and quarterback Carson Palmer. But no game was worse than the 33-0 beatdown the Los Angeles Rams handed out in October. A hive mind of about 30 NFL fans predicts the Rams will win Sunday’s rematch.
Credit to the Cardinals: For all their hardships, the team has managed to eke out a 5-6 record that is really not bad in the context of all that misery. Replacement quarterback Blaine Gabbert even had his karmic revenge game last week when he took down his old team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Los Angeles Rams are coming off one of their best wins of the year with last week’s triumph over the New Orleans Saints, and they look to pad their advantage in the NFC West.
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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 hive mind predicts the Rams will win with high confidence and 92 percent brainpower behind the pick.
The swarm likes the Rams to win by seven to nine points, with 92 percent brainpower behind the pick. The Vegas line for the game is the Rams by seven.
The game kicks off 4:25 p.m. Eastern Sunday on Fox.