AI labs need to start funding historical research
AI labs need to start funding historical researchUsing GPT-6 and Opus 5.5 to trace alchemical knowledge and decode 17th century lettersBenjamin BreenSep 24, 202612ShareI’ve written previously about the pitfalls and use cases for AI in augmenting historical research, but things have changed significantly since 2024-25. Occasioned by the dueling releases of GPT-6 Sol and Opus 5.5 this week, I thought I’d share some early results with using these models not just to perform “research assistant” type functions like transcribing documents, but to try to actually solve existing historical problems. The TLDR is that pairing historians working in collaborative groups with the current frontier models would, in my view, produce numerous advances in historical knowledge and interpretation.
- ▪AI labs need to start funding historical researchUsing GPT-6 and Opus 5.5 to trace alchemical knowledge and decode 17th century lettersBenjamin BreenSep 24, 202612ShareI’ve written previously about the pitfalls and use cases for AI in augme
- ▪Occasioned by the dueling releases of GPT-6 Sol and Opus 5.5 this week, I thought I’d share some early results with using these models not just to perform “research assistant” type functions like transcribing documents, but to try to actual
- ▪The TLDR is that pairing historians working in collaborative groups with the current frontier models would, in my view, produce numerous advances in historical knowledge and interpretation.
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| Original publisher | Hacker News (AI / LLM) |
| Canonical URL | https://resobscura.substack.com/p/ai-labs-need-to-start-funding-historical |
| Publication time | Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:14:27 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-24T19:25:26.915Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-24T19:25:26.915Z |
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AI labs need to start funding historical researchUsing GPT-6 and Opus 5.5 to trace alchemical knowledge and decode 17th century lettersBenjamin BreenSep 24, 202612ShareI’ve written previously about the pitfalls and use cases for AI in augmenting historical research, but things have changed significantly since 2024-25. Occasioned by the dueling releases of GPT-6 Sol and Opus 5.5 this week, I thought I’d share some early results with using these models not just to perform “research assistant” type functions like transcribing documents, but to try to actually solve existing historical problems. The TLDR is that pairing historians working in collaborative groups with the current frontier models would, in my view, produce numerous advances in historical knowledge and interpretation.
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