Meet Bard, my new digital bookie.
I’m using Google’s new artificial intelligence (AI) “Bard” to help me bet on UFC 287.
I don’t think that’s what programmers had in mind when they developed this language model but if Bard and its ChatGPT friends are going to take over the world, they can at least help me earn a few bucks along the way.
After all, those doomsday bunkers aren’t cheap.
UFC 287 will be headlined by the 185-pound title fight pitting current middleweight champion Alex Pereira against former division titleholder Israel Adesanya. In addition, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal will collide in the welterweight co-headliner to see who stays alive in the 170-pound title chase.
So what’s a good bet for UFC 287?
Bard recommended a parlay of Pereira by knockout, Luana Pinheiro by submission, and Chase Sherman by decision at +380 odds for a $380 payout on a $100 bet ($480, minus the initial $100 investment). When I plugged that parlay into Draft Kings, it came up at +381 for a nearly identical return — but only betting the money line, not the method of victory.
When I asked for betting advice on Pereira, Bard was fairly non-committal and presented multiple betting scenarios with no clear indication on which wager would be most favorable (or profitable). It reminded me of that one indecisive buddy we all have, the one who likes to ride the fence until after the fight, then brags about how he “called it.”
That separate, follow-up query also named Adesanya as the middleweight champion, one of many mistakes you can expect from AI while it’s still finding its sea legs.
I’m going to put a few bucks on the Bard parlay and we’ll see how it plays out. Win or lose, we’ll follow up after the event to see how the results match up. For those of you who prefer to bet on instinct over technology, stay tuned for a complete UFC 287 odds and betting guide from our still-human (but just barely) Patrick Stumberg early next week.
For more on UFC 287 click here.