AI for the ancient world: how a new machine learning system can help make sense of Latin inscriptions

A fragment of a bronze military diploma from Sardinia, issued by the emperor Trajan to a sailor on a warship, as restored by Aeneas. If you believe the hype, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is the future. However, new research suggests the technology may also improve our understanding of the past. A team of computer scientists from Google DeepMind, working with classicists and archaeologists from universities in the United Kingdom and Greece, described a new machine-learning system designed to help experts to understand ancient Latin inscriptions. Named Aeneas (after the mythical hero of Rome's foundation epic), the system is a generative neural network designed to provide context for Latin inscriptions written between the 7th century BCE and the 8th century CE.