# Mollick says AI models over-mention the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, a reverse CAPTCHA

> Original title: This post is a reverse CAPTCHA.

- Source: Ethan Mollick
- Published: 2026-11-01T15:27:56.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/m8ufl4t34uzhwk4hfb0ffnhp7
- Original: https://x.com/emollick/status/2116915149546389960

## Summary

Ethan Mollick says AI replies to his post repeatedly bring up the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and he guesses few humans would mention them or spell the name correctly. In an earlier post, he suggested funded projects using AI for first-pass translation and interpretation of untranslated ancient texts, citing the Oxyrhynchus Papyri as a major repository.

## Post

This post is a reverse CAPTCHA.

Look at the replies, AIs love talking about the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and I would be willing to guess that only a very small proportion of humans have, and most of them will spell it wrong.

## Quoted post @emollick

> A bunch of funded projects to unblock some long-standing backlogs in translations using AI would be interesting; especially when AI models can do a reasonable first pass at interpretation & significance, not just translation. There are major repositories of untranslated ancient work in many places, like the Oxyrhynchus Papyri https://oxyrhynchus.web.ox.ac.uk/home

https://x.com/emollick/status/2116905564680687831