Video
Did AI Solve the Alcatraz Escape? Frank Morris & the Anglin Brothers
Pete Cooper retells the escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers from Alcatraz and looks at what AI analysis has added to the case. He explains why he thinks AI has moved the story forward without solving it.
Video summary
Pete Cooper gives a short account of the Alcatraz escape. Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers tunnelled out of their cells, built a raft and other gear from salvaged materials including raincoats, and set off across San Francisco Bay through strong currents and cold water. Authorities declared that the men died on the way, but their bodies were never recovered and they were never heard from again.
He then walks through three pieces of evidence. He says DNA analysis showed that bones found later were not from any of the three men. A photo that surfaced in 1975 was run through AI analysis, which he says could not prove it was not an aged likeness of the Anglin brothers. Most recently, he says, an AI analysis of tides, wind, temperature and how such a boat would perform found that the men could have made it across if they left at exactly the right time, to within about an hour.
Pete adds that Morris was known for his intelligence and careful planning, which makes that timing plausible to him. His conclusion is that AI has not solved the case but has moved it forward, and he recommends the 1979 Clint Eastwood film Escape from Alcatraz.
Video transcript
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Has AI solved the famous escape from Alcatraz case? Well, if you don't know the story, you can always check out the film by Clint Eastwood 1979. But, to give you a very, very brief overview, three men, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, tunneled out of their cells, built a raft and other equipment from what they salvaged including raincoats, escaped out of the building, down out of the island, across the San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz is in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Uh braving strong currents and cold waters and pretty treacherous conditions to get out off the island and to safety.
Now, subsequent investigations never were conclusive, but the authorities declared that they perished on the way. They found some bones and their bodies were never recovered and they were never seen off or heard from again. However, the bones that they found proved to not be related to any of those three. And that was proven years ago with DNA analysis. More recently, photo which surfaced in 1975 was run through AI analysis and it couldn't prove that the photos that surfaced in 1975 were not age renditions of those men. That was the two Anglin brothers. So, it was inconclusive, but it didn't rule it out.
Now, the third and final piece which has most recently be done just this year is a detailed AI analysis of the tides, the winds, the temperatures and other factors including how a a boat like that would perform specifically around the weather conditions on that night. That analysis was done with AI under many different scenarios and it showed that if they had left at exactly the right time, literally to within an hour, they could have made it across. Now, what strengthens the that argument is that Frank Morris was known for his high intelligence and detailed planning skills and maybe he chose that night and observed the tides to that extent that he could have made it out to freedom.
I don't think it's conclusive that Aihara has solved it. I think it certainly moved us forward in the journey to understanding that story. And again, if you want to know more about that, I suggest you check out the Clint Eastwood movie which was released in 1979, Escape from Alcatraz. A really good movie.