AI Agents Did Not Uncover a New Maya Site Despite Claims

Pietro Miotti used a team of 48 AI agents to comb through NASA lidar data in search of undocumented archaeological locations. The agents flagged multiple shapes, including a major village that Miotti believed had not been previously registered. However, professional archaeologists quickly pointed out on social media that the site was already known and had been published in an academic journal more than a year earlier. The incident highlights growing tensions as amateurs use powerful AI tools in specialist fields without the necessary expertise.