An engineer has successfully used AI to decipher a long-standing cipher created by Napoleon Bonaparte, revealing a letter that had been unread for 217 years. This achievement has sparked interest among historians regarding the innovative applications of AI, likening it to a contemporary “Rosetta Stone” for historical translations.
Carter Church, an AI engineer from Sentinel One, demonstrated this breakthrough using OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra model. By providing just one prompt and a low-resolution image of the letter, the AI was able to crack the code in six hours.
The letter, dated 1809 and sent to Marshal Auguste de Marmont, contained sensitive military information about the positions of French troops. To protect this information, it was encoded. Church explained that while generating potential solutions was feasible, verifying them posed a more significant challenge.
The breakthrough involved decoding 155 unique signs within a homophonic cipher, which allowed for multiple symbols to represent common letters. GPT-6 Astra made use of a previously unlinked partial code table to facilitate this translation.
Experts, including historians, acknowledge the translation’s significance. It provides insights into Napoleon’s military strategies and sincere concerns leading up to the 1809 campaign. Although the letter does not contain groundbreaking revelations, it sheds light on historical contexts using AI’s capabilities to unlock hidden communications.
