GoKawiilAI model GPT-6 Astra decodes 1918 German WWI cipher for the first time
Developer Prinz used an AI system called GPT-6 Astra to break a 108-year-old encrypted German WWI radio message, one of 50 unsolved ciphers listed on the German site Scienceblogs.de. The AI identified 'TRUPPENVERSCHIEBUNG' as the keyword for the ADFGVX cipher, revealing a warning about a British cruiser arriving at Sevastopol followed by an Allied squadron. Astra cross-checked the decoded date against historical naval logs, confirming HMS Canterbury's arrival in Sevastopol on November 24, 1918, closely matching the message's timeline.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This marks a rare case of an AI system solving a historical cryptographic puzzle that had stumped human codebreakers and hobbyists for over a century, showing how large language models can be applied to niche archival and linguistic problems beyond typical chat tasks. It also hints at AI's growing potential to assist historians in verifying and reconstructing wartime communications by cross-referencing decoded text with independent historical records.
- GPT-6 Astra deciphered a WWI-era German ADFGVX-encoded message left unsolved for 108 years.
- The decoded text warned German command of British and Allied naval movements near Sevastopol in 1918.
- Astra verified the decoded timeline against real historical logs of HMS Canterbury's arrival, adding credibility to the decryption.
Source: tomshardware.com — Mark Tyson, 2026-09-19
Published there as: “ChatGPT-6 Astra cracks 108-year-old unsolved WWI German code for the first time — radio message sharing enemy movement intelligence had evaded decoding, 1918 Crimean fleet warning verified against HMS Canterbury logs”
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