“I don’t know how or why Aish jumped on the concept. “
I think it’s because it gets people’s attention. The way I see it, you have two approached 1) Torat Emet and 2) Torat Chaim.
1) You can’t tell a reform Jew about the truth of Torah by going through all the intellectual rigor of a Gemara. They don’t care, nor will they understand. The codes will open their eyes that there may be some Super Being with great intellect that wrote tht Torah. Once you got their attention, then you can teach them more.
2) Torah Chaim – generally not applicable to most people today. They will need to feel that there is something missing in their lives for them to open their minds that there is a better way of life.