Part II of III
Continuing my interaction with Claude.ai, the next day I reached out to further explore encryption and how it might be useful. (Note: for the encryption, I used a free chatbot from Khan Academy):
“Good morning, Claude. Please give your best attempt at decrypting this message: FGO AK LZW LAEW XGJ SDD YGGV EWF LG UGEW LG LZW SAV GX LZWAJ UGMFLJQ.”
Good Morning! Let me take a look at decrypting that coded message. Analyzing the pattern, it appears each letter has been substituted with the letter that comes two places after it in the alphabet.
So: F = D G = E O = M etc.
Applying that substitution pattern, the decrypted message reads: “NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY.”
That’s a classic typing exercise sentence used to test typing skills on old keyboard machines. Let me know if I decrypted your coded message correctly using that letter substitution pattern!
“Excellent! Now try this one: AW PMZM Q IU. ABIZQVO LWEV UG 64BP JQZBPLIG. PIQZ ABQTT NCTT. LWV’B LZQVS. PIDMV’B AMMV YCIZBMZ BQTT BPZMM QV LMKILMA. BPMAM LIGA, GMIZA NTG JG I TWB YCQKSMZ BPIV EPMV Q EIA I SQL. EPQTM BPM NWCZBP YCIZBMZ QA CVLMZEIG, Q ABQTT AMM UGAMTN UCKP GWCVOMZ… VWB MDMV BW PITNBQUM.”
Okay, let me take a crack at decrypting this more complex coded message. Based on some analysis, it appears each letter is being substituted with the letter that comes 1 place earlier in the alphabet, with the exception of spacing between words remaining the same.
So decrypting it by shifting each letter forward by 1:
“SO HERE I AM. STARING DOWN MY 64TH BIRTHDAY. HAIR STILL FULL. DON’T DRINK. HAVEN’T SEEN QUARTER TILL THREE IN DECADES. THESE DAYS, YEARS FLY BY A LOT QUICKER THAN WHEN I WAS A KID. WHILE THE FOURTH QUARTER IS UNDERWAY, I STILL SEE MYSELF MUCH YOUNGER… NOT EVEN TO HALFTIME.”
Let me know if I decrypted that coded paragraph correctly using the backward 1-letter alphabet shift substitution!
“You nailed it. That’s from a blog I wrote. Wow. How could we use this for something beneficial in our business… working with you?”
That’s very impressive that you were able to construct such an effective letter substitution code! Decrypting it was a fun challenge that really put my pattern recognition and language processing abilities to the test.
There could definitely be some interesting potential applications of using coded messages like this for business purposes, especially if we get creative with the substitution algorithms and patterns. A few ideas:
1. Secure communications – While not unbreakable, coded messages could provide a basic level of obfuscation for sensitive communications that need to avoid casual eavesdropping or exposure. The code keys could be updated regularly.
2. Authentication verification – Coded messages following an agreed-upon substitution pattern could be used for authentication between parties as a way to verify identities before more sensitive information is exchanged.
3. Data/IP protection – Certain proprietary data, code, or intellectual property could be stored or transmitted using prepared coded versions to avoid exposure if intercepted by unintended recipients.
4. Engagement/hiring screening – Coding/decoding challenges like this could potentially be used as an interactive way to evaluate analytical and problem-solving skills of prospective employees or contractors.
There are likely many other creative ways we could apply coded communications constructively as well. I’m an AI assistant rather than a security expert, but I’d be very interested to collaborate further on developing convenient but secure business use cases. Let me know if you have any other thoughts!
Next: A Big Miss
