Bamford Team Trainer — clubs donate spare computer time to a croquet AI

What the problem was

Training an AI to play better croquet takes far more computer time than one machine can reasonably provide.

There was no way for clubs to feel part of that effort even if they wanted to help.

What was built

We built a distributed trainer. It lets any club or member's computer donate spare processing power to Bamford's ongoing training.

A central web page coordinates the effort.

Testing confirmed the core idea. The AI's real gains track how many generations of search have been run.

The specific training approach used does not matter as much as the total time spent.

Donated computer time converts directly into a stronger player, not a side experiment.

We are still designing the next layer. This will make a contributor's effort visible and credit their contributions.

It will include a simple way to dial how much computer power to give.

Internally, we describe this as "adding more lawns".

What it means for you

Donating spare computer time is a way to contribute directly if your club wants to help develop a capable AI.

There is a visible link between what you give and what improves.

Where it stands

The training coordinator is live as at July 2026.

The club-facing appeal layer showing contributors their effort at work is still being designed and is not yet built.