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AIQuiet 5d · day 6

AI model GPT-6 Astra decodes long-lost World War I message

An AI system has cracked a German military message from November 1918 encoded with ADFGVX cipher that had eluded codebreakers for over a century.

newest coverage 5d agosummary written 5d ago2 pieces MastodonNewswires

What to know

  • GPT-6 Astra decrypted a German military message sent November 27, 1918, using ADFGVX cipher with keyword TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG—a message that remained unsolved for over 107 years despite the cipher being broken in 1918.
  • The decoded message describes British ship movements near Sevastopol and matches historical records of HMS Canterbury's position, validating the decryption.
  • The discovery demonstrates modern AI's cryptanalytic capability, though Hackaday notes the achievement is less impressive than human codebreakers like Painvin solving the cipher without computers in 1918.

“A model can always output something, but nothing repeatable, coherent, and checkable against unseen pages has ever appeared.”

Hackaday · Hackaday ↗

GPT-6 Astra AI modelGeorges Painvin French codebreaker (World War I era)

AI model GPT-6 Astra decodes long-lost World War I message
hackaday.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24yesterdaynow · 11:46 AM ET
  1. 1

    GPT-6 Astra decrypts 107-year-old World War I message

    The AI model GPT-6 Astra cracks the November 27, 1918 message, decoding it as a German military report about British ship movements near Sevastopol. The decoded content matches historical records of HMS Canterbury's position on the dates mentioned.

    “But apparently an AI model, GPT-6 Astra, recently cracked one that was previously undeciphered.”
    — Hackaday
    1. 1 outlet World War I Coded Message Appears Cracked, Finally

      first by Hackaday, 5d ago

  2. background

    German message sent using ADFGVX cipher with TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG key — A German military message is sent on November 27, 1918, encoded with ADFGVX using the keyword TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG. This message remains undeciphered among the intercepted messages, partly because the key was believed to have entered service only in December.

  3. background

    French codebreaker Painvin breaks ADFGVX cipher — Georges Painvin decrypts the ADFGVX cipher, a double-encryption system combining a 6×6 substitution grid with transposition. The effort reportedly made him ill, but he succeeds in solving the system.