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.
Would be interesting to know if Luke was homeschooled. Learning Latin and spending a lot of time in history museums would suggest so. I doubt if today's public schools are churning out this kind of talent.
Of today's offerings which are irrelevant to my life, THIS one actually tickled my intellect. Thanks for making my morning less of a wasted time on the computer!
As someone who focused on medieval documents in grad school, I am all too painfully aware of how much written material has been lost to the past. It isn't just that the materials themselves that are susceptible to damage: far too much has been intentionally destroyed in the name of ideological purity.
It's ironic that the heat of a volcano accidentally preserved these documents from that kind of destruction. And that AI technology--potentially the scourge of free thought in our own era--is allowing these documents to be decoded.
I agree with prior comments. Fascinating is the word. Also really cool that the guys started working together to do this after they knew about each other. What an exciting time for us and I am thankful that bright people like this can open up something historical to allow the rest of us to enjoy it further.
I love the valuable, creative and non-threatening aspects of AI this piece introduces ....so much information about AI seems negative in terms of possibilities. This is just very cool!
I can’t help but take heart and feel hopeful about the future when I read about the these young people. They are not wasting their time watching TikTok. Instead they are using their creativity and intelligence to take risks and build something new. Amazing!
Pardon my congenital nerdiness, but I’d be interested to know how they did it. High-res CT scans through the documents? Seems like the most effective way. Plain analog tomography?
What an amazing young man with his colleagues to figure out how to read these ancient scrolls. It is encouraging to know about him and his work after hearing so much about the dumbing down of so many “woke” students in American colleges. Keep up the good work Luke.
Thanks for this article. I, too, found it fascinating. In a world where the future with AI can seem scary because it is uncharted this is a good reminder of what the positive possibilities are.
My son is an ancient history and archaeology major and this story has the Classics world abuzz. This is likely to be the biggest thing to happen since the discovery of Pompei itself. There is even humor about what they hope to discover. One joke is "Cicero's Erotica" - but it'll be frustrating because it'll take so long to get to the good part.
This piece was absolutely fascinating - many thanks for writing it
Fascinating. I admire so much the intellectual capacities of the young people doing the translations!
Would be interesting to know if Luke was homeschooled. Learning Latin and spending a lot of time in history museums would suggest so. I doubt if today's public schools are churning out this kind of talent.
This is the stuff that gets me excited! Please keep tabs on this developing story!
Of today's offerings which are irrelevant to my life, THIS one actually tickled my intellect. Thanks for making my morning less of a wasted time on the computer!
Using AI for something positive instead of taking over the world. Love it!
As someone who focused on medieval documents in grad school, I am all too painfully aware of how much written material has been lost to the past. It isn't just that the materials themselves that are susceptible to damage: far too much has been intentionally destroyed in the name of ideological purity.
It's ironic that the heat of a volcano accidentally preserved these documents from that kind of destruction. And that AI technology--potentially the scourge of free thought in our own era--is allowing these documents to be decoded.
Nearing the end of a course on The Dead Sea Scrolls, this really piques my interest. I’m looking forward to hearing more. Thanks.
I agree with prior comments. Fascinating is the word. Also really cool that the guys started working together to do this after they knew about each other. What an exciting time for us and I am thankful that bright people like this can open up something historical to allow the rest of us to enjoy it further.
I love the valuable, creative and non-threatening aspects of AI this piece introduces ....so much information about AI seems negative in terms of possibilities. This is just very cool!
I can’t help but take heart and feel hopeful about the future when I read about the these young people. They are not wasting their time watching TikTok. Instead they are using their creativity and intelligence to take risks and build something new. Amazing!
Pardon my congenital nerdiness, but I’d be interested to know how they did it. High-res CT scans through the documents? Seems like the most effective way. Plain analog tomography?
What an amazing young man with his colleagues to figure out how to read these ancient scrolls. It is encouraging to know about him and his work after hearing so much about the dumbing down of so many “woke” students in American colleges. Keep up the good work Luke.
Thanks for this article. I, too, found it fascinating. In a world where the future with AI can seem scary because it is uncharted this is a good reminder of what the positive possibilities are.
My son is an ancient history and archaeology major and this story has the Classics world abuzz. This is likely to be the biggest thing to happen since the discovery of Pompei itself. There is even humor about what they hope to discover. One joke is "Cicero's Erotica" - but it'll be frustrating because it'll take so long to get to the good part.
I just think the ability to read theses scrolls is so amazing. I look forward to hearing more about their discoveries in due course.
And it is excellent to see AI being put to a good use as well.