The 22-Year-Old Who Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Rome
Photo illustration of Luke Farritor with the Herculaneum papyri scrolls. (Images courtesy of Luke Farritor and Vesuvius Challenge)
A treasure trove of ancient texts has been unreadable for 2,000 years. By using an AI program he designed, Luke Farritor helped unveil its mysteries for the first time.
While driving to his SpaceX internship in Texas in March 2023, 22-year-old Luke Farritor was listening to a podcast about a niche use of artificial intelligence: deciphering ancient scrolls. Then, he heard about a new competition—called the Vesuvius Challenge—being offered to the first person who could use AI to decode an ancient scroll from the ruins n…
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