AI Cracks Century-Old WWI Cipher, Unveiling Hidden Secrets
Historians and cryptographers have long known that various codes were used during World War I, but one such code remained unsolved for over a century. That changed recently with the help of AI.
The ADFGVX cipher was developed in 1918 by the French military, using a combination of letters and numbers to create an intricate encryption system. While it was thought that most World War I ciphers had been cracked, this one remained a mystery until now.
Enter GPT-6 Astra, the latest AI model from OpenAI, which successfully deciphered the code in 2026. The breakthrough came when researchers discovered that a key code phrase 'TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG' was used earlier than previously thought, contradicting previous assumptions.
According to GPT-6 Astra, this oversight led previous attempts to crack the code astray. By correctly identifying the date of the message's transmission, the AI model was able to accurately decode the contents of the encrypted message.
The decoded message revealed information about a British warship in Sevastopol during World War I, which matched historical records.