Is there an algorithm that can predict the Oscar winners? Economist David Rothschild seems to be pretty close, according to GeekWire. The member of Microsoft Research’s New York City lab led a team that correctly predicted 20 of 24 winners last night, as well as 21 of the winners in 2014, and 19 winners in 2013. The Microsoft team nabbed most of the big categories, including Best Picture, only missing out on original screenplay, original score, animated feature and film editing. Any system that can predict the occasionally head-scratching decisions made by the Academy is nothing to scoff at.
Rothschild is also part of a site that predicts the outcomes of a variety of other topics, including sports and politics. PredictWise is already starting to break down the 2016 election, saying there’s a 59.8 percent chance the Democratic Party will retain the White House. The PredictWise people see Hillary Clinton as the frontrunner with a 48.1 chance of being the president, followed by Jeb Bush at 17.1 percent.