Ubisoft using machine learning to translate hieroglyphics
The Assassin's Creed developer has put out a call for historians and researchers to aid in the project
Ubisoft has today unveiled an artificial intelligence research project to simplify the deciphering of hieroglyphics.
The Hieroglyphics Initiative, powered by Google TensorFlow, uses machine learning technology to expedite the translation of hieroglyphics, potentially allowing for an unprecedented breakthrough in understanding.
The project was conceived during the development of Assassin's Creed: Origins when the team realised what an obtuse and time consuming process the translation of hieroglyphics remains today, 200 years after the Rosetta Stone was discovered.
Egyptologist and PhD student Perrine Poiron said: "The Hieroglyphics Initiative not only has the potential to save us time as Egyptologists, it could unlock the magic of hieroglyphics for a new audience."
Ubisoft has made the Hieroglyphics Initiative an open source project and is now calling for researchers and historians to contribute in order to allow the Hieroglyphic Initiative to collect as much data as possible, ultimately creating a comprehensive translation programme.
Contributors can register on the Hieroglyphics Initiative website.