I wanted to post about the role of new technologies will impact this case. Once in a while I hear about how this case is unsolvable, I don’t believe so. I think that there are new technologies in which new ground will be broken in forensic science and combined with hopefully the release of new documents in the Zodiac Killer Case we can get some answers.
Some examples of how this will be done may include the following:
1. ) The scorpion ciphers are solvable as evidence by having the proper unicity distance, however, as Mr Oranchak points out the unique number of symbols makes it difficult for something like AZ decrypt to crack. However, new technologies such as the new Open AI program can look at things like the Scorpion ciphers and while not able to decipher them yet, I don’t believe it will be long before they are cracked. They can be cracked in theory and they will be cracked, in my opinion within and inside a few years if not sooner since cracking them is a matter of computer power and speed these ciphers it will be a matter of time before they are cracked.
2.). Help with new ideas on the Z32 — While the Z32 does not have the proper unicity distance to be cracked it is possible that there may be clues that people have missed in solving this. There are constraints so most likely it won’t say TOKYO or LONDON and the constraints may be within what is on the map. IF a correct word is guessed that is included in the Z32 I think it is possible that this one may be solved and even helped by AI in the future as well.
3.). Word analysis — There are ways to analyze word usage and this is yet another avenue and one in which an incredibly powerful intelligence can “read” millions of newspapers, documents and find needles in haystacks that tens if not hundreds of thousands of internet sleuths may have missed. We may be able to identify people based on word usage, this already exists but AI will most likely do this much easier and quicker.
4.). Nanotechnology — I don’t understand fully some of the research but the gist is that emerging nano technologies can help with DNA extraction and fingerprinting as well as a few other things.
Predictions: Not sure when this will occur but we are approaching a day and age in which we will ask AI about suspects. We may not even need online forums if an AI program is smarter than tens of thousands of people. If we have an idea we will be asking AI to either confirm or deny whether it is a good idea or not, this may not even be now, but I think this will start to happen within a few years.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214180424000564
