The Algorithmic Detective reopens the Zodiac Killer file using modern cryptanalysis and AI.
For our very first case, Alibis and Algorithms opens one of the most haunting files in American history: the Zodiac Killer. In this teaser, The Algorithmic Detective introduces Case One: The Zodiac File – Investigating Truth in the Age of Algorithms and lays out what this show is—and what it refuses to be.
Across a focused, single‑case season, we’ll rebuild the Zodiac investigation from the ground up: the crime scenes, the letters, the ciphers, and the failures that may have cost detectives their chance to catch him. Then we’ll bring in the one thing the original investigators never had: modern cryptanalysis, data science, and AI.
You’ll hear how computers helped crack one of Zodiac’s infamous ciphers, how language models weigh in on whether the letters came from a single hand, and what a realistic, data‑driven cold case team could do with the evidence that remains.
Here’s how each case works on Alibis and Algorithms:
- Saturdays: full 45–60 minute investigation episodes.
- Mondays – Field Notes: deeper dives into side trails, experiments, and theory.
- Wednesdays – Case Files: timelines, maps, ciphers, and data visuals at alibisandalgorithms.com.
No stunt “solves.” No doxxing. Just investigating truth in the age of algorithms.
