AI reads text from ancient Herculaneum scroll for the first time
AI reads text from ancient Herculaneum scroll for the first time
Machine-learning technique reveals Greek words in CT scans of rolled-up papyrus.
AI reads text from ancient Herculaneum scroll for the first time
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This is exactly the sort of thing AI should be used for - the stuff that humans can't do. Writing nonsense articles or creating bad art should be left to the humans.
I would like to retract my previous comment.
Humans can do this, which is why the AI was able to. AI just automated the process, which is great, but the same thing as Excel replacing handwritten spreadsheets or genome sequencing projects which in both cases speed up things people are able to do.
The AI is reading text on unopenable scrolls based on miniscule differences in texture on areas that were inked. It was trained on openable scrolls where they knew what text was on the other side of them. The whole point of the article was to talk about how this makes the contents of the unopenable scrolls at all accessible, unlike prior because humans cannot read them. It feels like you didn't read the article.
Slapping an edit here: this comment was inaccurate. Compared to using AI for this, humans working out what the scrolls say is infeasible given how long it would take, but I don't think it's fair to say impossible
AI is not a sensor. The sensor let them sense things in the scroll. The AI used methods that could be done by people, just a lot faster. It is very impressive, but not something people are unable to do, just not able to do in a reasonable amount of time.
Fair point. I jumped to assuming you were saying something you weren't, my bad.
What do you mean? Humans have been translating ancient texts for actual centuries. What is this bot doing that a human can't?
Did you read the article? The scroll is damaged. They had to use a machine to basically read the remnants without unrolling it.
So, the AI isn't translating the scrolls. The scrolls are unable to be opened, but the AI has been trained on similar scrolls that could be opened, so it can use tells from the back of the scroll to help render what's written on it. Humans translate it once they can read it.