World War I message deciphered after 108 years – AI helped
A German military message from World War I, which remained undeciphered for 108 years, has been read using OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra neural network. Developer Prinz used AI to crack the ADFGVX cipher, which contained data on the movement of Entente ships near Crimea. The message confirmed the arrival of the cruiser HMS Canterbury in Sevastopol on November 24, 1918. The neural network also revealed an anomaly: the encryption key was officially introduced on December 9, but the message was sent on November 27.
A German military message from World War I, which remained unsolved for over a century, has been deciphered using OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra neural network. The encoded text was sent in late 1918 and contained information about the movement of Entente ships in the Crimea region. The decryption was carried out by software developer Prinz using an AI tool. As a result, it was established that German military personnel were transmitting data about an English cruiser heading to Sevastopol, as well as about an Entente squadron. To transmit the message, the German military used the ADFGVX system, a permutation and substitution cipher based on a special 6x6 table. The keyword was TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG, which translates to 'troop movement'. After decryption, the message indicated that the English cruiser had arrived in Sevastopol, and the Entente squadron was to follow on the 26th. The obtained data was cross-referenced with British fleet logbooks. According to these records, the ship in question was the HMS Canterbury, which was heading to Sevastopol from Constantinople. The vessel indeed arrived in the city on November 24, 1918, and two days later the Entente squadron arrived. During its work, GPT-6 Astra discovered another unusual detail. According to the neural network's calculations, the key used was officially supposed to come into effect only on December 9, 1918. However, the mysterious message itself was sent on November 27—almost two weeks earlier. Historians have so far been unable to determine the reason for this discrepancy. Developer Prinz noted that, to his knowledge, this particular message had not been deciphered before. Separately, OpenAI characterizes GPT-6 Astra as 'alien intelligence', emphasizing its ability to handle complex tasks.