AI cracks Napoleon-era cipher unsolved for 200 years in just hours
nordicinst · x · 2026-10-17
AI is rapidly decrypting historical ciphers that stumped scholars for centuries, described as a "turning point" for the field.
- A wartime coded message commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte went unsolved for over 200 years — until AI cracked it in hours.
- Carter Church, a 27-year-old AI engineer, is among the new sleuths, decrypting a 19th-century letter connected to Napoleon.
- Cryptographer Tomokiyo (58) says most ciphers on his list have been broken since mid-September; he has "mixed feelings" that AI solved these hard problems so easily.
- Remaining tough cases lack sufficient reference data and may stay unsolved for years.
The trend lets non-specialists unlock historical sources previously reserved for scholars and dedicated hobbyists.
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