An immense amount of research and development goes into each of the games we create here at Puzzling Pursuits. Many of our games include real events, historical references, and materials in order to create an immersive and realistic experience. The specific, overarching story in Synapse is of course fictional, but each of the puzzles in the game was either based on real events, or on technologies that are in development. To discover the real-world tie-ins, check out the article below.

The puzzles in Part I of the game are pulled directly from the history of AI development. A bit more information about each of these real events can be found below.

Prospector:

In the late 1970s, Prospector became one of the first AI “expert systems,” built to mimic a geologist’s expertise. Instead of weeks of human debate, it could analyze data in minutes and suggest drilling sites. In one test, it flagged a Nevada location that experts had overlooked. It turned out to contain a molybdenum deposit worth an estimated $100 million. For many, it was the first glimpse of AI outsmarting its creators. 

 

Chess & Go:

The news articles in your game are completely accurate (including the photos). In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue stunned the world by beating world chess champion Garry Kasparov — a landmark AI victory. Two decades later, Google’s AlphaGo conquered the ancient game Go, long thought impossible for machines due to its staggering complexity (there are more possible positions than atoms in the universe).

 

Jeopardy

In 2011, IBM’s Watson went head-to-head with Jeopardy! legends Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Watson had to handle wordplay and puns, which computers up until this point had struggled with, but it crushed the humans with over $77,000 in winnings. Jennings even signed his final card, “I for one welcome our new computer overlords.”

 

AI Art

 

Art was long considered uniquely human, until AI learned to wield a digital brush. Early tools like DeepDream (2015) produced surreal, dreamlike images from photos, and later models like DALL·E and MidJourney could create striking works from just a text prompt. The images in the AI art puzzle were AI-generated, though we had to incorporate the hidden images ourselves.

 

AI Chat

AI chat began humbly with ELIZA in the 1960s, a program that simulated a psychotherapist through scripted responses. In the 2010s, Siri and Alexa brought voice assistants into everyday life, though they often felt clunky. Then in 2022, large language models like ChatGPT appeared, able to write, reason, and converse with surprising fluency.

 

Synapse: Part II

Legal Battles

At the time of developing this game (mid-2025), AI was deep in the courtroom: entertainment giants like Disney and Universal were suing Midjourney for generating images that mimic their iconic characters without permission. At the same time, authors—including Sarah Silverman, the Authors Guild, and The New York Times—were also suing AI firms like Meta and OpenAI over alleged unauthorized use of their texts in training models.

 

Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Universal Basic Income is the real-world idea of giving everyone a regular, no-strings payment to cover basic needs. The concept has gained traction alongside the rise of AI, as many worry automation could replace millions of jobs. Experiments have already occurred in places like Finland and Stockton, California. Supporters see it as a safety net for an AI-driven future, while critics warn it’s costly and risky, and could lead to a less productive future.

 

Autonomous Vehicles

While driverless taxis may seem far-off to some, companies like Waymo, Zoox, and Tesla are full-steam ahead, with Waymo already completing over 10 million paid driver-free rides as of mid-2025. The vehicles are currently limited to specific cities, and the technology is deeply controversial, but is expanding rapidly.

Human Brain Study

In the real world, AI research has heavily utilized the study of the human brain. Early AI “neural networks” were inspired by how neurons fire and connect, while later research on vision and language processing helped shape today’s deep learning systems. Scientists even track brain activity during tasks like recognizing images or parsing sentences, then adapt those patterns into algorithms.

 

Video AI Imposter

AI Avatars first appeared as blocky, animated faces in the 1990s, helping gamers and online chatters put a “character” to their digital identity. Soon, brands and customer service desks adopted them, giving chatbots a friendly face to smooth over clunky interactions. Today, platforms like Replika and Synthesia let people chat with lifelike companions or generate digital presenters for corporate videos. Even musicians have tested fully virtual pop stars who perform concerts without ever stepping on stage.

 

AI Chip Implants and Drugs

Companies from Neuralink to China's state-backed labs are currently racing ahead in brain-computer interface tech. Neuralink's PRIME trial just added a fifth patient who can now control his phone and TV with his thoughts alone. China just rolled out a bold roadmap, aiming for medical-grade implants before 2030.

AI is also coding its way into our medicine cabinets. Companies like Certara, Schrodinger, and Recursion are slashing drug development time by over 50%. Beyond that, AI models like DeepDTIs are suggesting fresh uses for existing drugs by predicting new targets. It is expected that AI will be integral to creating new drugs in the near future.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed the game!