Can Machine Learning Translate Ancient Egyptian Texts?

I have long been intrigued by archaeogaming--an academic discipline that explores the fusion of archaeological objects, methods, and characters into video games. So I was thrilled when the video game company Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed: Origins, set in Egypt during Cleopatra's reign. The designers collaborated with Egyptologists to ensure everything from the architecture to the hieroglyphics created an accurate, immersive world. Unexpectedly, this partnership inspired a machine-learning spinoff that changed the course of my early career. While working with Egyptologists, the game developers learned that translating and interpreting ancient hieroglyphic texts is time-consuming, and the process has changed little in the last century.