AI and the LOST Bitcoins

[0t3p0t]

I just found this article here:

In 2013, Howells, from Newport, Wales, accidentally threw out the hard drive which contained 8,000 Bitcoin.

Source: https://www.unilad.com/news/uk-news/james-howells-threw-away-bitcoin-ai-find-it-681168-20240224

Though I've already heard of stories of people accidentally lost their huge holdings of Bitcoins but this guy is using AI to locate the missing hard drive that has 8k Bitcoins on it. So my question here;

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?
2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?
3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

[Crwth]

I think it could help somehow with AI to broaden the search but it's going to be hard. I have read some articles that have used AI to help assess missing persons so why not find a missing hard drive right? But I think it would still be really hard to find that money that contained that amount anymore and that would've been lost forever. I think the best approach is to get the seeds or something.

For the data recovery, I think it would be helpful for sure to start somewhere if it's found but that is a big IF.

[PX-Z]

The man in the article says the approximate time it will find the hard drive is 9-12 months which "might" be possible, since they will use an AI using conveyor belt for scanning.
But seriously i won't give a high hope for that, we are talking a decade lost stuff in that fill which was already buried for how many meters now.

[MrSpasybo]

Though I've already heard of stories of people accidentally lost their huge holdings of Bitcoins but this guy is using AI to locate the missing hard drive that has 8k Bitcoins on it. So my question here;

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?
2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?
3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

1. AI is just a data processing program, if AI has enough satellite data and a reliable prediction model, it can help reduce costs by narrowing the search scale.

2. I don't predict the chance that AI can help find the disk, it's probably only a few parts in a million.

3. Ability to restore data from disk: normally disks can survive for a long time in harsh environments. That means that if the disk is buried in a pile of trash or lies at the bottom of a river, the data inside will still be safe and can be recovered. In the worse case: the hard disk has been damaged due to physical impact (mechanical, temperature), we have an additional 8000 BTC permanently stuck in the blockchain as a form of burning BTC to pay tribute to Satoshi, increasing scarcity and generate more profits for BTC holders 

P/s: My friend stored 7 BTC on his laptop and lost all the information when reinstalling the operating system. After many years, he tried to recover the data but was unsuccessful. I hope he doesn't think too much about 7 BTC = $350K.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

That nigga should already just give up and move on, somethings when lost, can never be recovered again, and I personally think the hard drive said to be containing those 8000 bitcoins is one of them.

The search for this hard drive started several years ago, just when it became clear to the owner of the hard drive that his lost 8000 bitcoins are then worth millions of dollars due to the price increase bitcoin, I personally believe that the search had been on for atleast a year or two before it was made public, and like I said before, this was several years go, and till today, we are still talking about this?

I do not think AI will help recover the lost hard drive, it's been 11 years for goodness sake, a hard drive that was buried in the ground for 11 years must have rusted badly, this is if at all it's still there and recognizable.

[Z-tight]

James Howells had better forget about his lost BTC and move on, he has been on the news for a very long time now, i think he previously even wanted to sue the local council because they refused him digging up the landfill. He has been going on and on about this for a decade and he better stop and find how to earn new BTC's, he may never have as much as the amount he lost, but it is better than chasing a lost cause.

[Tribalchief]

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?

Of course, especially when the specific Brand of hard drive is given as an instruction to whatever machinery is been used alongside the AI, then we should consider the job done.

2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?

Well, I can't give any possible odd but if the hard drive is still present in that particular location, then it is certain that it would be found. I am not even sure if it's a metal or plastic form of hard drive. This really matters considering the fact that it's already a decade ago.

3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

I would give a 50/50 chance in this aspect.

[Papusha20]

Although 11 years ago the value of Bitcoin in a hard drive wallet was very low, but nowadays its value has skyrocketed.  11 years back. in 2013 bitcoin price was approximately $766. So 8k bitcoin price is huge in the current market, now using AI technology to recover hard drive wallet I don't think is possible because it is mixed with tears. And I think there may be a sewer drain and that dust fills the void. Now if that person can recover the hard drive then surely his forehead is good.

[Yamane_Keto]

I read about Howells' story several times, and each time in a new way. I don't know if he was actually looking for that hard drive, or if the news services modify the story every few years. I heard that he was trying to find it using a file recovery technique, and some say that he will invest millions of dollars to restore the hard drive. And now artificial intelligence, they are nothing more than articles to attract views.

[Gurujebs]

Though I've already heard of stories of people accidentally lost their huge holdings of Bitcoins but this guy is using AI to locate the missing hard drive that has 8k Bitcoins on it. So my question here;

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?

Is this another way to promote AI the blogs are coming with impossible task of AI to help humans? What was lost is gone. At most, what AI can help you in this situation is probably ask you questions and places where you think you last forgotten the AI and then it can give you a generic response to look into some places. I wouldn't believe any of AI found Bitcoin until the Bitcoin in that drive is move to another address or they sign a message from that address.

2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?

I guess zero, we are just in trying phase of new technology that is looking for so much credibility. Why didn't the AI help find the crew ship that sink in the ocean last year or give a particular location where Titanic ship is exactly?

3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

This is impossible, if the hard drive has been in the rain for many years as you said, we should consider that bitcoin as good as gone, it's part of Bitcoin that as been loss and wouldn't be able to be added to the circulating supply as it's making it more deflationary.

[0t3p0t]

we have an additional 8000 BTC permanently stuck in the blockchain as a form of burning BTC to pay tribute to Satoshi, increasing scarcity and generate more profits for BTC holders

This really has good and of course bad impact between the owner and the Bitcoin hodlers. Bad for the owners end because it will be "permanently stuck in the blockchain" which means not recoverable and good for the Bitcoin hodlers because "lost" means "scarcity" and then scarcity means price will goes up due to the fact that the total supply has already been deducted with thousands of coins.

I just wish they will find ways to really recover their wealth in Bitcoins one day.

[Lucius]

These days, AI is the solution for everything, so I am not at all surprised that there is also mention of this search for a long-lost HDD that allegedly contains thousands of BTC. I really don't know how reliable it is to claim that AI could help detect a HDD that has been under a tons of garbage for so long, but it seems to me that only good human work and a lot of hands that would turn over every unearthed piece of garbage would help.

Of course, all of this makes little sense considering that the city council continues to refuse any excavation of landfills and I don't see what would convince them to change their decision.

[Captain Corporate]

Its not really requiring AI, it just requires the trail. What it could have happened already, and the possibilities. If you know what the possible outcomes are, then you can trace it back from there. Most likely, this is gone, dude has been doing this full time and making money that way, he is getting funding basically because its entertainment at this point. I believe that AI will not help that. However, one danger of AI is that it can brute force, and considering Bitcoin is very hard to brute force, if AI could figure out a maximize the efficiency of doing it, while you can't really do that on very new ones, the old wallets that nobody ever touches could be a problem. Maybe it will take 10 years, maybe it will take 20 or 30 years to crack, but since those wallets are not moving, someone can take 20 years to do that.

[Cryptsafe]

I just found this article here:

In 2013, Howells, from Newport, Wales, accidentally threw out the hard drive which contained 8,000 Bitcoin.

Source: https://www.unilad.com/news/uk-news/james-howells-threw-away-bitcoin-ai-find-it-681168-20240224

Though I've already heard of stories of people accidentally lost their huge holdings of Bitcoins but this guy is using AI to locate the missing hard drive that has 8k Bitcoins on it. So my question here;

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?
2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?
3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

Its been 11 years since the hard drive went missing. There is every possibility that the hard drive must have been recycled, destroyed, or at the bottom of the dumpsite and you just can not tell the exact dumpsite it is. This, I think, might likely make it difficult for a search.

Talking about using AI for the search, it might be possible, but I think a specially designed or built AI should be made for that purpose; otherwise, there is every likelihood that the search might fail. However, some special features should be made so as to enable easy location of the hard drive, If they can, the BTC wallet address holding that coin should be set in the AI, as should the hard drive serial number, to be able to track the last place the drive was seen before it went off track.
There is every possibility of getting the bitcoin back if the hard drive containing the bitcoin is found.

[TomPluz]

1. Does AI really has the ability to track the hard drive given that it has lost 11 years ago?
2. How much do you think is the percentage of odds of finding that hard drive again using AI tech?
3. If that hard drive will be found in one of these days, do you think the Bitcoins inside it can still be recoverable using current technology? (Take note it's been 11 years on the ground if not being sold to junk shops by scavengers.)

Aside from the famous Bitcoin pizza purchase story of Laszlo Hanyecz , this sad story of James Howells who lost his hard drive with 8K of Bitcoin which is now worth around $448 million at the $56K rate, captivated the world of cryptocurrency and it is good to see that his saga has not yet ended and is now using AI to help him track that hard drive...that hard drive that should have made him so much richer today. That is if he can found it. I am not really so sure if AI can be of big help but then why not...and this can be a big test with the capability of AI to look for missing things and persons. Let's see how things will turn out to be...and it would be a big celebration if the man will eventually see his hard drive and if he can still do something with it after so many years in an outdoor environment. Also wishing that James can soon be smiling because he is successful in this quest, I am more realistic in saying that finding the hard drive intact and still functioning is like finding a needle in a haystack his neighbor owned. Anyway, it seems to me that he is not the man that will easily give up so I am still wishing him more power, stamina, wisdom and luck. I am advising that he should also explore the idea of selling or licensing his story which can be worth a movie or a series which crypto enthusiasts like me would patronize.