World Cup AI Predictions Upset Again? Fu Sheng Brings Lobster 'Sanwan' Challenges LLM

The World Cup is never short of upsets, and AI seems to be getting a lesson from it. Last night, in the match between Spain and Cape Verde, Spain was unexpectedly held to a draw, causing all 12 AI large language models (LLMs) that had participated in the pre-match "World Cup Man vs Machine" prediction to fail collectively. What was initially considered a match with little suspense in outcome once again proved the most classic saying in football: football is round. Yet despite this, the buzz around AI football predictions continues to grow.

From OpenAI to Google, from Baidu to Lenovo, various LLMs are becoming the new commentators of World Cup discussions. Now, this AI prediction game has a new player—Fu Sheng, Chairman and CEO of Cheetah Mobile. This time, Fu Sheng officially enters the World Cup prediction arena with his lobster 'Sanwan'.

In the latest video, Fu Sheng had lobster 'Sanwan' make full predictions for five World Cup matches on June 17. The most anticipated was undoubtedly the showdown between France and Senegal.

First, 'Sanwan' reviewed a classic World Cup history. In the opening match of the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup, defending champion France lost 0-1 to Senegal, a first-time participant, in a shocking upset. That match is regarded as one of the most famous upsets in World Cup history. And with even more drama, today's Senegal coach Thiao was a member of that miracle team back then, sitting on the bench; 24 years later, he leads the team against France again as head coach. This historical fate makes the match instantly full of narrative weight.

Based on data, 'Sanwan' gave three core judgments:

First, France will likely win, but the process won't be easy. Facing African teams with strong physicality and impact, France has historically struggled to overpower them easily.

Second, the match is likely to see multiple goals. France has recently scored big in consecutive matches, and both teams' forward lines have strong finishing ability.

Third, Senegal is likely to score. Mané's speed and counter-attacking ability will pose a continuous threat to France's defense.

Ultimately, 'Sanwan' predicted the score: France 3-1 Senegal.

Besides the highlight match, 'Sanwan' also gave predictions for the other four matches:

Portugal vs. DR Congo, 3-0, Portugal wins big.

England vs. Croatia, 2-1, England wins tight. 'Sanwan' said Croatia's midfield is aging but experienced, so they won't be blown away.

Ghana vs. Panama, 2-1, Ghana wins. But 'Sanwan' specifically warned this match is the closest, and African teams tend to start slow in their first matches.

Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 3-0, Colombia wins big.

Notably, after the 12 LLMs collectively missed, Fu Sheng and 'Sanwan's' entry makes this World Cup AI prediction battle even more interesting. AI excels at data analysis, historical modeling, and probability projection, but the biggest charm of the World Cup is precisely that it always allows surprises. As proven by Spain's draw last night: the more secure a prediction seems, the more likely reality will embarrass it.

So the question is: this time, can Fu Sheng and 'Sanwan' predict correctly?

The answer will be revealed soon.