Tuesday, August 19, 2025

AI Cracks Hammurabi's Ancient Script with Near-perfect Accuracy

An artificial-intelligence system has read a Babylonian law tablet at 98 percent character accuracy ...

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The breakthrough is described in a study uploaded on 7 May 2025 to the open-access arXiv server by University of Dubai researchers Shahad Elshehaby, Alavikunhu Panthakkan, Hussain Al-Ahmad and Mina Al-Saad.

Comments

There will be a lot of invoices, bills of lading, receipts, mundane stuff in there ... but, who knows, maybe another Gilgamesh or other intriguing, written fragments emanating from ancient experiences. Kudos to the researchers.

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2025-08-18 06:21 AM

Until capitalism steps in.

#2 | Posted by fresno500 at 2025-08-18 11:36 AM

Already been done

#3 | Posted by easy_meat at 2025-08-19 12:25 PM

try The Voynich manuscript now

#4 | Posted by easy_meat at 2025-08-19 12:26 PM

I listened to an intriguing conversation on NPR the other day, about the possibility that AI might be able to translate the language of other sentient animals.

AI can be both fascinating and frightening. I suppose it will all depend on who is programming and using it. Unfortunately, human nature almost guarantees a bad outcome.

#5 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2025-08-19 02:36 PM

So how did the AI models do with Finegans Wake'? Asking for a literature class ... .

#6 | Posted by catdog at 2025-08-19 04:56 PM

#6: Good question. And this book ought to be simple for AI: upload.wikimedia.org

I wonder what AI will say about Albert Camus' The Stranger?

BTW: Earlier this year I was asked whether Mucedorus was scribed by the Immortal Bard as some attribute this play to him. I came to my conclusion, but didn't compare my answer with any of the dozen free AI platforms available.

#7 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-08-19 05:52 PM

Cool. Also, fcnk AI

#8 | Posted by hamburglar at 2025-08-19 07:01 PM

The Voynich manuscript now

#4 | POSTED BY EASY_MEAT

Pretty sure the Voynich manuscript is a fraud created to fool a king by a fraudster that even Donald Trump would be jealous of.

It's more of a work of art than a document that contains any useful intelligence. Something someone like JRR Tolkien could have easily created. Even the script looks "Elvin".

Regardless I'd love to see what AI makes of it too.

#9 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-08-20 11:17 AM

Re 6

I'd love to see that translated into readable English too.

#10 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-08-20 11:19 AM

Cool. Also, fcnk AI

#8 | POSTED BY HAMBURGLAR

In America AI fcnk you!

#11 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-08-20 01:59 PM

AI is just a glorified adding machine.

It anticipates verbal structures. That's why it's good at "translations".

AI is Hype more than real substance.

GIGO...real human thoughts feed it and determine it's parameters of "thought".

An Earthworm has more genuine intelligence than any machine.

It's self directed.

#12 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2025-08-20 04:22 PM

"AI is just a glorified adding machine."

It's best you are fooling yourself because the truth would terrify you. The Singularity is ever Nearer. We may have even crossed the event horizon already. The thing is you will probably never actually know when it happens and when you figure it out it will be too late.

An "adding machine" is not capable of complex algorithms or even remotely capable of being aware of its environment.

...

An Earthworm has more genuine intelligence than any machine.

It's self directed.

POSTED BY EFFETEPOSER

Earthworms are not capable of "self directing" drones or missiles, nuclear or otherwise.

(Pidgins once were!)

And AI is much better than homing pigeons and getting better and cheaper all the time. Thats why we don't use homing pigeons anymore.

North Korea is now experimenting with developing drones and missiles with an AI capable of self directing themselves. It won't be long now. Others will have no choice but to counter any advances they make.

#13 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-08-20 04:38 PM

"Intelligence" isn't understood in people.

You're mistaking performance for understanding.

AI has no Core identity, no ability to self correct on the fly.

It would be great for bombing children, having no Morals or values.

Very incompetent at Anything involving independent Judgement or Nuance of thinking.

When I ask AI about almost Anything, the replies I get are scrambled factoids strung together with no real understanding of context except at the most basic level.

Mistakes abound, contradictory statements come from similar queries.

AI is a multi Billion dollar Fraud in my opinion.

It's useful for sure, for some things.

But it's definitely Not, All That.

It's like perpetual motion. It seems easy, and possible...

But it Isn't.

In my opinion,No machine will ever really reason like a Mammal or Bird. No machine can comprehend the world without human input somewhere.

Even Amoebas can.

But AI will change War.

It will be a Horror of Robot Soldiers and ",Smart," Weapons.

The Body count will be high.

The Machines won't even know why they're killing.

Inanimate objects never Do.

And that's EXACTLY why they're Wanted by Evil People.

#14 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2025-08-20 05:31 PM

#14: As you aptly summarized, AI lacks empathy and compassion, and the other critical human trait: Wisdom.

cdn4.slideserve.com

#15 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-08-20 05:47 PM

Yes, it's better defined a Simulated Intelligence, because that's what it it.

Coming on it's heels is AGI, which, being a simulation of many human functions and performance, might be intelligent I guess.

But SAI, which is said to be a few years allows the system to:

AI
ASI (Artificial Superintelligence):
An AI system that significantly surpasses human intelligence in virtually every domain, potentially leading to an "intelligence explosion" where it continuously improves itself at an exponential rate.

www.google.com

according AI, anyway

#16 | Posted by Corky at 2025-08-20 05:58 PM

Wisdom is the ability to see and respond to subtle patterns not easily perceived by most people.

The Ability to sense reality and also to detect BS.

It's mostly the province of Age and Experience. But not Always.

Like musical child prodigies,some people grasp the world's patterns, young.

Others are Obtuse. They are unable to grasp when they are being -----------.

AI will always be Morally and Culturally Obtuse.

It will never understand anything..

Understanding is the province of life,not Binary Codes,no matter how well Backstopped by huge silos of Data.

AI is not accurately named.

It should be called Deep of Stacks of data manipulation. Or Algorithms of Language.

It has no Organic connection to real thinking and understanding because it has no ability to synthesize anything outside of its programming.

GIGO....

#17 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2025-08-20 06:13 PM

I'm getting tired of this guessing game.

Will somebody please ask AI when and how Trump is going to self-destruct.

'Cause right now he's scaring the scat out of everybody.

#18 | Posted by Twinpac at 2025-08-20 11:02 PM

We'll make great pets.

----- for Pyros: www.youtube.com

#19 | Posted by HeliumRat at 2025-08-21 02:26 AM

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