AI hacks for your March Madness bracket

Most people making March Madness brackets will be getting help from AI — and 37% will solely rely on it — according to a Hard Rock Bet survey. Why it matters: AI can be a helpful tool for bracket-building, but only if used thoughtfully.

What they're saying: "AI isn't designed to predict random events," Sheldon H. Jacobson, a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois, tells Axios. "It's designed to look for patterns."

So avoid relying on AI to tell you who will win each game — the robot's guess is as good as yours. Instead, Jacobson recommends prompting AI to analyze multiple simulated brackets and track patterns.

Zoom out: There are plenty of ways to have AI assist with bracket selection.

For example, fans can use AI to simulate March Madness outcomes randomly or based on specific stats or seeding on NCAA's and ESPN's tournament-picking platforms and Jacobson's BracketOdds. Of course, any AI chatbot, from ChatGPT to Google Gemini, can be prompted to help analyze historical NCAA tournament trends, search for the latest news about injuries or identify statistically unlikely outcomes.

Pro tip: Whether or not you're working with AI to build your bracket, start with the Final Four or Elite Eight — instead of the full 68 — and work your way out, says Jacobson.

That helps you have a "more reasonable" bracket that avoids adding "far too many upsets in the early rounds," he says.

💭 Thought bubble: This year, Claude, ChatGPT and Google's Gemini were all able to fill out the bracket, largely without mistakes, according to Axios' chief technology correspondent, Ina Fried.

Remember that generative AI should be fact-checked, even if the chatbots are more reliable now than they were last year.

The bottom line: Instead of treating AI like your in-house March Madness psychic, consider it your personal sports researcher.