Vatican uses AI to protect digitization of historical documents

The Vatican Apostolic Library has opted for Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to protect its manuscripts and historical documents from cyberattacks. It currently has 80,000 documents, including the oldest copy of the Bible and drawings and writings by Michelangelo and Galileo, and so far about 25 % have been digitized.

Since it began digitizing its archives in 2012, the library has faced an average of 100 threats per month, according to Manlio Miceli, Director of Information for the Vatican Apostolic Library.

“We cannot ignore that our digital infrastructure is of interest to hackers. A successful attack could cause the collection to be stolen, manipulated or completely eliminated,” said Miceli, according to The Guardian newspaper.

For this reason, the library has partnered with the cybernetic Artificial Intelligence company Darktrace to protect its files from cyber attacks using this technology.

“Darktrace AI is essential to defend the collection because it is constantly evolving and constantly learning what is normal activity in our systems and what can be abnormal. This means that it keeps pace with changes in our environment and also changes in the environment. panorama of the threats, “ensuring that protecting” these documents is important not only for the Vatican, but for the historical memory of the world.”

Source: dpa