What do Americans believe?
Do they believe in evolution? In astrology and global warming? What about Bigfoot? For a nation that’s supposed to keep church and state separate, we are nevertheless fascinated by the beliefs held by our neighbors near and far. Large polls published by outlets like Harris, Gallup and CBS have revealed that nine out of ten Americans believe in God, 29% believe in astrology, and 59% believe that Russia has collaborated with President Trump.
While these polls might be interesting, they merely served as a jumping off point for researchers at Unanimous A.I. to test their Swarm AI platform, UNU. The goal of this research was to see how well a Swarm A.I., configured to tap the knowledge, wisdom, and insights of only 40 people, would compare with the results comprehensive polls with thousands of participants. And, to make the challenge even more difficult, the people connected to the swarm would be randomly assembled, with no consideration given to compiling a representative sample. What we wanted to know was: Could a small random sample of humans, connected by A.I. algorithms, accurately predict the results of these large-scale polls?
Before we consider the data, it’s important to note that the Swarm was not asked whether or not it believed in evolution, or Bigfoot, or Astrology, but rather strictly to predict the poll results released by these major outlets. Below is a replay of UNU’s predicted percentage of Americans who would report believing that Russia had collaborated with Trump officials:
This result is rather remarkable because UNU’s response perfectly matches the CBS poll’s result of 59%. That means a relatively small group of people was able to amplify their intelligence the same way bees do in hives fish do in schools, producing the intelligence of a group of people many times its size. UNU was also incredibly accurate when asked to predict percentage of Americans who believe in astrology, considering the Harris poll revealed a 29% rate.
Both of these results show that swarming has the ability to generate rich, accurate – and highly visual – data from relatively small groups. And, because swarming brings these groups together in real-time, it provides an unprecedented window into the ways groups work together that no poll could replicate. We call that Swarm Insight.
Click the chart below to see replays of all of UNU’s predictions.
Every week Unanimous A. I. brings together swarms of regular people just like you to help us predict sporting events, investment opportunities, and technology as well as provide insight into everything from pop culture to politics. If you’d like information on joining one of our swarms – or just want to know what UNU sees for the future – please drop us a line below.
