The New York Times’ Games section keeps online gamers busy every day, tackling brain-teasing puzzles like Wordle, Connections, Strands, the iconic Crossword and its little brother, the Mini Crossword. (CNET has collected daily answers for them on our Daily Puzzle Answers page.) Now, players can receive a numerical game score and see how they stack up against competitors. Plus, the new innovation brings artificial intelligence into the gaming mix.
Connections, launching in June 2023, gives readers 16 words and asks them to sort the words into four related categories. Some words might fit into multiple categories, but there is only one solution that will correctly sort all the words. For added fun, the categories are color-coded, with the purple category being the hardest.
But if playing the game isn’t enough, now you can do more. Starting September 3, the NYT has the brand new Connections Bonegiving players additional insight into how they played the game each day.
It is similar to WordleBotwhich was introduced in 2022 and does the same for Wordle. According to The Times, Wordle Bot attracts millions of visitors each month and is one of The Times’ most popular features. (For some reason, The Times calls Connections Bot two words, but WordleBot one word.)
Connections Bot marks the first time the Times newsroom has used AI on a regular basis.
Here’s how it works: You play Connections and then visit the Connections Bot to see how you did. The bot compares your play to other players and gives you a score out of 99. To get a perfect 99, you have to win without mistakes and be the first to solve the hardest categories — so purple first, blue second, green third, and yellow last. (Read the Connections Bot FAQ (for more information about scoring.)
Once you receive your skill score, the bot uses AI to try to read your mind and determine what you were thinking when you got it wrong.
Read more: Win Every Time at NYT Connections with These Seven Hints and Tips
NYT’s First Mainstream Use of AI
For example, for the July 29 Connections puzzle, it included the words gutter, bowl, lane, and alley. You might have tried to group those words together since they’re all bowling-related, but they actually belong in different categories. The AI will suggest that you might have been thinking of bowling terms, but it will also note that you might have tried to group alley with words like lane and drive since they’re all types of roads.
The Connections Bot uses AI to guess why players have grouped words in a certain way.
The guesses come from generative AI.
“In accordance with The Times’ principles for using generative AI“the FAQ Reports“Times editors review all AI-generated comments before they are published and may lightly edit some comments for clarity and style.”
Editor Eve Washington helped create the bot, and told the Times It helps her feel better about the days when she doesn’t solve the puzzle.
“Making connections can be a tricky game,” she said, adding that some days less than 50% of people who try solve that day’s puzzle.
You don’t need a Times account to play Connections, but you do need a Times account to use the bot.
Read more: Here are today’s answers for Wordle, Connections, Strands and the Mini Crossword
