Microsoft Bing’s prediction engine was not impressive in the World Cup group stage, correctly picking 60 percent of the winning teams that advanced.
But its performance in the knockout round has been perfect — literally.
Bing is 13-0 thus far in the elimination stage of the World Cup, most recently predicting a Germany win over Brazil (The Germans ended up smashing the hosts on Tuesday, 7-1).
Microsoft, which has found success predicting other competitions in reality TV contests, is using data like the teams’ records, strength of schedule, margin of victory in past matches, whether the location gives a particular team a home field advantage, and the influence of factors including weather and type of playing surface.
You can see Microsoft’s predictions on Bing by searching for “World Cup Predictions,” or Windows Phone owners can use the virtual assistant Cortana by asking her, “Who will win Team A or Team B.”
For those in Vegas looking for some betting help, Bing is predicting an Argentina win over the Netherlands (56.5 percent chance) on Wednesday.
