AI shows that Vatican City is more damaged than previously thought

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used to find structural vulnerabilities in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that are invisible to the naked eye.

According to , a digital twin of the famous Catholic church was created through AI, creating an ultra-precise 3D model that simulates an object in the physical world.

O project was developed by Microsoft and the Vatican in collaboration with the Icona French company specializing in digital preservation.

It’s called St. Peter’s Basilica and involved the use of drones, cameras and lasers to capture more than 400,000 detailed images and create a digital replica accuracy of the exterior and interior over a period of three weeks.

The AI ​​analysis identified cracks and fissures invisible to the human eye, which will help with the restoration work.

Also revealed previously hidden or lost mosaics e uncovered an ornate ceiling.

Brad SmithVice President and President of Microsoft, stated that “it is literally one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated projects of its kind that has ever been carried out”.

Everyone, really everyone, should feel welcome at this,” said the Papa Francisco to Brad Smith and his members of the project development teams at a hearing held on November 11.

“Therefore, it is a gift and a task to take care of herboth in the spiritual and material sense, even through the most recent technologies”, he added.

The project also allows people who have never visited the Vatican in person to get to know the place with the same level of detail than in-person visitors.

Digital twin technology has already been used in other buildings, such as Notre Dame Cathedralin Paris, to help with reconstruction efforts after the 2019 fire.