San FranciscoA language model read a 370-year-old cipher’s key from the book itself.
The result argues language models are cryptanalytic tools, not just puzzle-solvers, for text-based historical ciphers.
Vals AI’s model spent 44 minutes linking the cipher’s 32 numbers to Thomas Urquhart’s own 32 “Proquiritations.”
Independent scholars have not yet confirmed Vals AI’s capability claim.
How each outlet framed it
- Hacker News
- emphasizes AI solving in 44 minutes what humans failed to crack for centuries despite missing one easy clue
Sources: Hacker News