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old coded message ‘cracked by AI’
AOL.com • • world
Key Points:
- An encrypted letter from 1809, sent by Napoleon’s stepson Eugène to General Auguste de Marmont, has been decrypted for the first time in 217 years using AI technology.
- AI engineer Carter Church used OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra system, employing a trial-and-error method called “simulated annealing,” to decode the 1,300-character cipher that had previously been unsolved due to the lost key.
- The decrypted letter reveals French and Austrian troop movements on the eve of the war between France and the Habsburg Empire, instructing Marmont to prepare for battle and not be intimidated by enemy forces.
- This breakthrough demonstrates AI’s growing capability in solving complex historical ciphers and mathematical problems, though experts caution about potential misuse in revealing anonymous online identities.
- Marmont’s successful military actions following the letter contributed to Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Wagram, earning Marmont the rank of Marshal.
