GPT-6 Astra Cracks Napoleon’s Code, St Luke’s AI Skin Scanner, Trump’s Super Intelligence Force, IWF Warns AI Abuse Images Surge

Adam Nagus (0:05)

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Carly Wilson (0:07)

We are your hosts, Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson, delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm.

AI engineer Carter Church says GPT-6 Astra deciphered a tune 17-year-old military code in about six hours. The message came from the headquarters of Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon Stepson and Viceroy of Italy. It was addressed to French General Auguste de Marmont and conveyed orders concerning the preparations for an Austrian invasion. The cipher had remained unsolved since 1809 and contained 24 rows of numbers, letters and invented symbols. According to Church, Astra worked from a single image and prompt using a partial key and a simulated annealing solver.

The decoded message completes a sentence left unfinished in Napoleon's memoirs, ending with the phrase, a gathering of rabble. The letter was reportedly verified as mechanically testable against the original cipher text. Satoshi Tomokyo, who maintains the historical cipher database, has since marked the case as solved.

Adam Nagus (1:03)

Staff at St. Luke's Hospital in Bradford say artificial intelligence is helping detect skin cancer sooner and could be a game changer for dermatology services. Introduced in April, the system analyses three images of a suspicious lesion within minutes. The faster process allows staff to see 32 patients per session compared with 24 previously.

Patients with likely benign lesions receive advice and can be discharged, while suspicious cases are referred to specialists. The Trust says unnecessary biopsies have fallen by about 10 percent, easing waiting times and reducing pressure on clinicians. The technology's developer claims it is 99.9 percent accurate at ruling out melanoma. The system flagged a suspicious mole on 73-year-old Lawrence Patton, although a specialist later considered it likely benign. Recommended for NHS use while further evidence is collected, the technology is now deployed across 40 hospital trusts.

US. President Donald Trump has unveiled a task force called the Super Intelligence Force to coordinate the US government's approach to artificial intelligence. The group will be led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and include senior officials from the defence, trade and personnel agencies. Its responsibilities will include engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organisations, critical infrastructure providers and technology companies. The announcement follows Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to replace the term artificial intelligence with super intelligence or SI in official communications.

Experts have questioned the rebranding, warning that super intelligence may refer to more advanced systems and could create confusion. The task force comes amid growing pressure for stronger oversight following cyber security incidents and concerns about safety practices at major AI firms. Open AI chief executive Sam Altman has argued that the technology's benefits justify accepting some risks while keeping it accessible to the public. A former Open AI safety leader has meanwhile criticized the company's culture and said its rapid release schedule lacked sufficient care. Trump has generally favored allowing AI companies to regulate themselves, while executives from firms including Open AI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Google have signed a voluntary regulation pact.

Carly Wilson (3:20)

The Internet Watch Foundation says it has assessed 6,310 AI-generated child sexual abuse images in the first half of 2026 That figure is already 40% higher than the total recorded throughout 2025 Most of the images involved girls aged between 7 and 13, and the figures cover still images rather than videos. The IWF says AI-generated abuse material has increased sharply in recent years, particularly in video form. Its head of policy, Hannah Swirsky, is calling for binding legislation requiring technology companies to build safer AI models. UK law already bans AI-generated child sexual abuse material as well as models designed to produce or distribute it. The government says developing a model intended to create hyper-realistic abuse imagery can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.

Separately, children have made 420 reports to the Report Remove Service about intimate images they believe were faked or manipulated using AI.

The National Crime Agency and the IWF are urging parents to keep children's photos off public social media or share them only with private groups.

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