AI Chatbot Decodes 408-Page Borg Cipher in 29 Minutes, Unlocking 400-Year-Old Remedies
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 28
AI Chatbot Decodes 408-Page Borg Cipher in 29 Minutes, Unlocking 400-Year-Old Remedies
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 28
Summary
A chatbot built by Beáta Megyesi’s team translated and decoded a 500-symbol extract from the 408-page Borg cipher in just over 29 minutes, also producing an English rendering and a documented rationale.
The Vatican manuscript had remained unread for more than 400 years; once cracked, it revealed medical recipes and treatments, including red wine and nutmeg-based remedies once kept secret for fear of witchcraft accusations.
The tool combines image recognition, transcription and decryption with large language models trained on historical texts, aiming to merge those steps into a single workflow and reduce the manual trial-and-error that slows cryptologists.
Researchers say the system also quickly solved two other previously decoded ciphers, suggesting it can handle different languages, periods and code types as they build broader datasets of encrypted historical documents.
That matters because roughly 1% of archive and library material is fully or partly encrypted, leaving diplomatic intelligence, love letters, medical knowledge and other missing pieces of history still locked away.
While AI cracks ancient royal codes, how is it building the unbreakable encryption of the future?
Beyond royal plots, could AI finally solve ancient mysteries like the 4,000-year-old Phaistos Disc?
When AI reveals the private secrets of historical figures, where do we draw the ethical line?
400-Year-Old Borg Cipher Decoded by AI: New Era for Historical Cryptography and Ancient Medicine
Overview
In a historic breakthrough, an AI system led by Beáta Megyesi rapidly and transparently decoded the mysterious 400-year-old Borg Cipher, a manuscript that had long resisted human efforts. This achievement marks a pivotal moment for history and cryptography, showcasing the growing power of AI to solve enduring historical puzzles. The team developed a specialized AI chatbot to tackle coded texts, unlocking the manuscript’s hidden knowledge and revealing centuries-old medical remedies. This success not only demonstrates the practical impact of advanced AI technology but also opens new possibilities for uncovering secrets from the past.