GPT-6 Astra cracks 217-year-old Napoleonic code in six hours

(tomshardware.com)

22 points | by ortusdux 14 hours ago ago

11 comments

  • cantaloupe 13 hours ago ago

    The original blog post of the person who orchestrated the attempt:

    https://carter.church/writeups/the-letter-to-marmont/

  • ortusdux 14 hours ago ago

    Link to X thread: https://x.com/CarterWChurch/status/2105167567706816690?ref_s...

    "What makes this impressive isn't actually the codebreaking, but that Astra completed the entire multi-modal workflow in ~6 hours from a single image and goal."

    • DavCreator 12 hours ago ago
    • Isamu 12 hours ago ago

      It’s an image of ink-on-paper cursive handwriting, with what looks like markings added during the original decryption to keep track of where they were in the process.

      So image to text, then a brute force attack on a Napoleonic era cypher.

    • ThePowerOfFuet 8 hours ago ago

      That link just gave me cancer from simply looking at it.

      At least cut everything from the ? onwards.

  • breakingcups 12 hours ago ago

    Wonder when Astra is going to definitively "solve" the Voynich Manuscript.

  • z3ratul163071 13 hours ago ago

    amazing. can it also not butcher my medium size code base every time i give it a task?

  • spdustin 11 hours ago ago

    No, I will not un-block html-load (dot) com.

    Glad the original blog post was linked in the comments here.

  • antesaj 12 hours ago ago

    Did it search for existing research and documented attempts at the problem before starting on the solution?

  • hansonkd 13 hours ago ago

    I mean is this good? How do we measure how "unsolvable" these codes are vs just unsolved because they are esoteric, uninteresting, and useless?

    • withinboredom 12 hours ago ago

      Yeah -- if you want to do something better; set it on the Beale Ciphers.