Advanced AI model cracks century-old German WWI naval cipher
The GPT-6 Astra artificial-intelligence system decoded a World War I German radio message that had remained unsolved for over a hundred years.
A sophisticated AI system called GPT-6 Astra succeeded in deciphering a German radio transmission from 1918 that employed the complex ADFGVX code used during World War I. By employing the key “TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG,” the model reconstructed the message, which reported Allied naval activity in the Black Sea, specifically an English cruiser reaching Sevastopol followed by an Allied squadron a few days later. Researchers cross-checked the AI output against archival documents and British naval journals, finding a match with the movements of HMS Canterbury and the later squadron.
The key had previously been linked to a later period in archives, leading earlier attempts astray. This achievement showcases how modern AI can assist historians in solving long-standing cryptographic puzzles.
