I asked an AI to guess the lottery numbers, and this is what happened

Can AI Help You Win the Lottery? My Real Experiment with Statistics and Probability

The Illusion of Patterns: Why Machine Learning Can't Outsmart Random Luck

Pop art illustration questioning whether artificial intelligence can beat the odds and predict winning lottery numbers based on probability statistics

What if AI is capable of not only writing texts, creating pictures, but also… helping to win the lottery? Perhaps this is madness, I should try!

I will say right away that I am not a gambler; usually, I buy 1 or 2 tickets for Christmas, traditionally, to see if I can win or not. Usually, it turns out that I either do not win anything or I recoup the cost of the ticket, and I already consider this a great deal, since I don’t lose anything in this scenario.

Recently, I read an article from which I learned that a woman asked for random numbers in the lottery and won several million. I thought it was quite interesting. And I conducted an experiment, which consisted of several steps.

Step 1 - Choose a Lottery

First, I didn’t ask about numbers; I gave a list of the cheapest lotteries and asked the AI which one had the highest chance of winning. The AI gave me a table with data. I chose the one with the highest chance of winning, if you can even call it a chance.

Photo by Davis Patton on Unsplash

Step 2 - Learning the Rules

Next, I asked about the rules of the game, which turned out to be very simple: you need to choose 5 numbers in the first field and 1 in the second field.

The first field has only 36 digits, the second has only 4 digits.

Step 3 - Probability Theory

I asked what the winnings are and the probability of winning (Probability Theory). I expected the AI to guess at least 2 numbers for me, and the ticket would pay off. The probability is also 1:8, pretty good. I immediately skipped the jackpot, because I think it’s unrealistic to win.

AI assistant table displaying statistical analysis of different lottery options. Screenshot made in perplexity.ai

Step 4 - Selecting Numbers

Selecting numbers with AI. In the first field, the statistics looked like this:

• Frequently dropped numbers: 3, 10, 13, 17, 22, 24, 27, 32, 34, 35
• Numbers that haven’t dropped for a long time: 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 23, 29

Here, the AI gives me a combination of frequently dropped numbers: 3, 10, 17, 22, 34.

Also, the AI suggests that it would be desirable to mix with rarely dropped ones, my intuition tells me listen, only frequently dropped numbers can’t drop! But I ignore this feeling.

The second field has slightly different statistics; you need to guess 1 digit out of 4, which gives a 25% chance of guessing. I learned that number 1 comes up most often, number 4 comes in second, and 2 and 3 come up equally rarely. The AI suggested number 1 to me. My intuition screamed — choose 4! But I didn’t listen again.

Step 5 - Buy a Lottery Ticket

I add the numbers to the table, pay for the ticket, and wait 25 minutes for the drawing. I watch a movie, so I don’t have to count the minutes until I become a millionaire.

Step 6 - Check the Lottery Ticket

I’m going to check my winnings… Or losses…

Real experiment results showing that AI selected numbers only matched a single digit

• The AI guessed only 1 number, which is highlighted in green;
• The numbers that the AI chose, but missed, are highlighted in dotted lines.
• The numbers that had to be guessed are shown in gray; among them, we see rare ones.
• Also, number 4 came up in the lower field, and not 1, which I chose.

I did not buy the second ticket, since the first one did not pay off. If it had paid off, for the sake of the experiment, I would have bought a second one, or as much as it would have been enough to continue it.

So can you trust AI to make decisions about choosing numbers to win a lottery?

If you don’t have a gambling addiction, you can buy 1 ticket for fun. But I can just as easily guess 1 number myself. I’ve never had a situation where I didn’t guess a single number on the field. I think everyone can do that.

Of course, you can’t hope that this will make you a millionaire!

AI is a great assistant in your work, but it doesn’t cope very well with the theory of relativity… for now… Maybe in the future it will succeed. So no lotteries or bets on horses.

The experiment showed that AI can show popular numbers, but it can’t negotiate with fortune. After all, luck plays a more important role in this matter. But I was interested.

I’m glad I did the experiment, because it gave me material for writing this article.

While technology struggles to decode pure luck, some global brands have spent decades perfecting the art of creating predictable magic through meticulous planning. In the digital marketing space, the ability to captivate an audience is often more valuable than any lottery win. Beyond viral trends and algorithms, there are hidden strategies used by industry giants to maintain their legendary status. If you want to see how one of the world's most famous companies builds its empire on mysteries and clever promotion tools, you should read my next piece: 4 Disney Secrets You Didn’t Know. Discover the growth strategies behind the most successful "magic" in history!

Insider Tip: if running this playful test with historical frequencies and cold algorithms has made you realize just how fascinating the hidden laws of chance truly are, the best way to develop a bulletproof mindset against gambling traps is to master the math behind them. To dive deeper into how random events actually shape our world and learn how to make better decisions in everyday life, I highly recommend exploring the wonderful selection of popular science books on probability theory and statistics on Amazon. From witty bestsellers that break down the mathematics of luck to practical guides on how data analysis really works, you'll find hundreds of engaging titles that prove understanding the numbers is far more rewarding than chasing a jackpot.

Since the lottery didn’t work out, I make useful and cute things. Maybe you’ll find something necessary here 🦝?

Have you ever done something as crazy as I did with lotteries? Share in the comments whether you won or not?

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