Scrolls were illegible for 2,000 years. A college student read one with AI.

[Nittersing]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/17/herculaneum-scrolls-contest-translated-deciphered/

This is pretty cool.

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student was at a party in August when he received a text that would help him decipher a nearly 2,000-year-old message.

In the previous few months, Luke Farritor had joined a worldwide competition to translate ancient Roman scrolls that were damaged by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79. The 21-year-old computer science major had developed an artificial intelligence program to detect the charred Greek letters written on papyrus.

The text message he received at the party included an image from one of the scrolls. Farritor sat down in a corner to review the picture and uploaded it to his AI program before returning to the party. When he was walking back to his dorm room around 1 a.m., Farritor pulled out his phone from his pocket and was shocked at what he saw.

His AI program had detected about a dozen letters from the image.

“I was completely amazed,” Farritor told The Washington Post. “I freaked out a little bit, jumping up and down, yelling, screaming.”

[CurtEastPoint]

2. He got rewarded for being brilliant! Way to go, Luke.

https://scoop.upworthy.com/21-year-old-undergrad-wins-40-000-for-reading-2-000-year-old-scroll-using-ai

[Goonch]

3. The Greek word for "purple" has been extracted from a Herculaneum scroll (Vesuvius Challenge)

[Goodheart]

16. That's funny... I detect an O that his fancy pants AI program missed.

Better luck next time, Luke!

[leftstreet]

4. DURec

[Renew Deal]

5. Pretty crazy that the message was about renewing car insurance.

[TalenaGor]

10. lol!

[Grins]

19. No! Jardiance: "the little pill with a big sto-ree to tell..."

That shit is everywhere.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

29. CaesarCare Advantage can save you big denarius!

Enroll now before the open period closes

[progressoid]

33. Chariot insurance.

[highplainsdem]

6. Cool!

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. "Drink Your Ovaltine" nt

[AntivaxHunters]

9. LoL

[BuddhaGirl]

26. Ha!!

[Ilsa]

32. Best one ever! nt LOL!

[Emile]

8. The little pill with the big story to tell, Jardiance.

[a kennedy]

23. Ok, just stop, I don't need that damn advertisement in my head now, and here on DU.

Just kidding.

[colorado_ufo]

28. Same here, plus

I can't unsee that hideous yellow dress they make her wear!

[Emile]

31. LOL

I think the whole country is sick of that stupid commercial.

[Ilsa]

35. A whole new generation can hate jingles now. nt

[twodogsbarking]

11. Best if used by 10/25/0003

[lastlib]

12. Leads me to wonder......

...if AI could crack the Zodiac killer's code.....

[Renew Deal]

13. Tough to say

Would the code have to be rational? What if it was simply meant to confuse?

[masmdu]

15. Wasn't that already cracked?

[lastlib]

18. Hmmm, I guess it was!

That was news to me. Thanks for the heads-up!

[masmdu]

14. Turns out it was a "To Do" list....1. Milk the goats

2. Buy volcano insurance

Doh!

[Sky Jewels]

24. 3. Get fire-proof box for scrolls

[Marthe48]

17. Wonder if someone will develop a program to decipher

Linear A?

[Kaleva]

20. Lot of funny comments in this thread!

[Baitball Blogger]

21. Just thinking how bad this could go, if an AI reads Logan's Run before being requested

to make such a translation.

It would go something like this: "Kill everyone over the age of 30."

[highplainsdem]

27. The main generative-AI models have already been fed full text or at least summaries of

almost all science fiction ever written, including science fiction about AI and how humans will try to deal with any superior AI they find threatening.

[AllaN01Bear]

22. eggscllent.

[Sky Jewels]

25. I'm gonna make a middle-aged mom comment here:

Luke is adorable! He's a bit younger than my kids. Looks like "such a nice young man!"

[TeamProg]

30. Secret recipe for concrete that will last millennia? nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

34. "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine"

[Vogon_Glory]

36. I've got a translation! I've got a translation!

Purple rain, purple rain / I only want to see you / laughing in the purple rain!

[intrepidity]

37. A teenager telling another what color they are wearing to a dance? nt

[Xolodno]

38. Your car's mechanical warranty is about to expire.

Please send 10 silver pieces to renew.

[Vogon_Glory]

39. And that chariot was so shiny and new

When I took it out of the dealership’s parking lot!