A collaborative project between Oxford University and the National Museum of Afghanistan has used artificial intelligence to reconstruct and translate severely damaged birch-bark manuscripts. The fragments, which date to the 6th century CE, contain previously unknown Sanskrit commentaries on Buddhist Logic (Nyaya). The AI utilized a 'deep-learning' model to predict missing characters based on the grammatical structure of known texts, successfully restoring nearly 85% of the original content.
The recovered text provides a detailed analysis of syllogistic reasoning and epistemological theories that influenced early Indian philosophy. Scholars believe these manuscripts were part of a monastic library that served as a major center for intellectual exchange between India and Central Asia. The digital restoration has opened a new window into the curriculum of ancient Gandharan universities and the development of formal logic in the East.