An AI engineer used machine learning scripts to test a hypothesis about Linear A, an undeciphered Bronze Age language isolate, claiming progress by assigning values to 40 signs and compiling a lexicon suggesting Semitic ties. The case highlights AI's role as a tool to amplify human intuition rather than replace linguistic expertise.
Background
Ancient languages like Linear A and Etruscan lack bilingual anchors or known relatives, making them resistant to traditional decipherment methods. Recent AI applications aim to accelerate pattern recognition in these isolated writing systems.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Jul 29, 2026 at 09:23 PM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10