Hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little expertly navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape, offering practical insights on leveraging AI for your family history research.

Mark and Steve open this episode by discussing lessons that genealogists can learn from Hollywood on the importance of fact-checking. Next, they provide a comprehensive roundup of the top AI image-generation tools. Then, how Google Lens’ big upgrade can greatly simplify your research. 

In this week’s Tip of the Week, learn how AI translation can help you research in another language, and so much more.

With a mix of news, analysis, and hands-on advice, this podcast equips you with the knowledge to harness AI's power in uncovering your family stories. Whether you're a tech-savvy researcher or new to AI, this show offers valuable insights.

I. AI In the News

00:01:16 Hollywood AI Mistake: Lessons for genealogists on fact-checking.

00:04:18 AI Image Generators: Overview of popular tools and their applications.

00:24:22 Google Lens Upgrade: New features for image and text search.

II. Tip of the Week

00:30:13 AI Building Blocks - Translation: Exploring translation and applications in genealogy.

III. RapidFire

00:41:57 Microsoft Edge Tab Organizer: New AI-powered feature for efficient research.

00:44:18 "The AI Scientist": Discussion of AI agents and complex problem-solving.

00:49:10 Eleven Labs Reader Upgrade: Text-to-speech tool now supports 32 languages.

00:53:03 OpenAI's Condé Nast Deal: Improves AI training and new ways to access publications.

ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

DALL-E: https://openai.com/dall-e-2

MidJourney: https://www.midjourney.com/

Google Lens: https://lens.google.com/

Imagen: https://deepmind.google/technologies/imagen-3/

Ideogram: https://ideogram.ai/

Adobe Firefly: https://www.adobe.com/sensei/generative-ai/firefly.html

Eleven Labs Reader: https://elevenlabs.io/

Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/

Microsoft Edge (for Tab Organizer): https://www.microsoft.com/edge

Transkribus: https://readcoop.eu/transkribus/

OpenAI: https://openai.com/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Tools, Image Generation, Google Lens, OCR Technology, Language Translation, AI Ethics, Research Techniques, DALL-E, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Google Imagen, Microsoft Edge, Tab Management, AI Agents, Text-to-Speech, Eleven Labs Reader, OpenAI Partnerships

In this episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss Microsoft's new AI-enhanced search tool, Deep Search.  Then, they review Google's major list of AI announcements. In the last big story this week, Mark and Steve talk about how photography has changed in the digital age.  

Don’t miss this week’s Tip of the Week, where Mark and Steve provide valuable insights into Building Better Prompts using the role-goal-task-format prompting style.  

The rapid-fire segment covers recent developments in AI image generation, including free access to OpenAI's DALL-E and Midjourney. The hosts also examine OpenAI's safety measures and Elon Musk's controversial AI tools.  

Blending expert analysis and practical advice, this podcast equips listeners to navigate the exciting world of AI in genealogical research and beyond. 

02:57: Microsoft Bing's Deep Search: Microsoft introduces Deep Search, a new feature competing with Perplexity, offering enhanced search capabilities. 

13:27: Google's AI announcements: Google unveils several AI-powered features for Android phones, including voice assistants and image analysis tools. 

24:14: Have we entered the post-photography era? The hosts discuss how AI is transforming photography and its implications for genealogists and family historians. 

33:55: Building Better Prompts: Role, Goal, Task, Format: The hosts explain a more effective method for crafting prompts when working with AI, emphasizing the importance of clear goal-setting. 

42:35: OpenAI's DALL-E free access: DALL-E image generation tool available to free-tier users, expanding access to AI-generated imagery. 

44:36: Midjourney's web platform launch: Midjourney releases a more accessible web-based platform for its image generation tool, offering a free trial. 

46:01: OpenAI's safety scorecard: OpenAI releases a safety scorecard, detailing its efforts to ensure responsible AI development and usage. 

50:22: Elon Musk's AI tools release: X launches new AI tools with fewer restrictions, raising ethical concerns and discussions. 

Microsoft Bing Deep Search: https://www.bing.com 

Perplexity AI: https://www.perplexity.ai 

Google Gemini: https://gemini.google.com 

OpenAI ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com 

Google Pixel phones: https://store.google.com/category/phones 

DALL-E: https://chat.openai.com 

Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/imagine 

X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com 

Grok AI: https://grok.x.ai 

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies: https://www.iajgs.org 

Adobe Acrobat: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat.html 

Zoom: https://zoom.us 

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, Digital Photography, Search Engines, Voice Assistants, Image Generation, Prompt Engineering, AI Ethics, Mobile Computing, Research Methods, Microsoft Bing, Google Gemini, OpenAI, DALL-E, Midjourney, Elon Musk, Deep Search, Screen Awareness 

“These tools are so useful […] that even if there are prohibitions against their use, […] there's an incredible temptation to use them surreptitiously.” - Steve Little

Join Mark Thompson and Steve Little as they discuss the AI stories affecting the family history community. AI outages, ethical debates, and cutting-edge tools were all big news this week.   

Also, listen to how OpenAI's new content deals, Google's very bad awful week, and Perplexity's innovative Pages tool, could impact your genealogy research in the future.

Please leave a comment/review to let us know how we’re doing, and what you would like us to discuss in future episodes!

00:30 Major outage of tools on June 4th, 2024

02:48 Ethical considerations for using AI for genealogy

10:38 OpenAI's new content licensing deals

13:54 Google fumbles AI-overview rollout

17:20 Perplexity's innovative Pages tool simplifies research

23:57 OpenAI announces more free stuff included in ChatGPT

29:16 AI Tip of The Week: Treat Your Chatbot Like a Human

32:34 Rapid-fire updates

32:41 OpenAI Announce development of a new large language model

34:08 Partnership between Apple and OpenAI expected soon

35:45 Elon Musk announces $6B investment in Grok.AI

36:38 Meta/Facebook announce a paid version of Meta.AI coming “soon”

39:31 Upcoming Announcements

39:37 Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference

39:45 Ontario Genealogical Society Conference

40:05 Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh

41:07 Tout fini!

OpenAI: 

https://www.openai.com

ChatGPT: 

https://chatgpt.com/ 

“Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI)” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai

Google AI Overview:

https://ai.google

Perplexity AI: 

https://www.perplexity.ai

Perplexity Pages Tool:

https://www.perplexity.ai/pages

Anthropic:

https://www.anthropic.com

Meta AI:

https://ai.facebook.com

Ontario Genealogical Society Conference:

https://conference.ogs.on.ca

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP):

https://www.gripitt.org

Apple Worldwide Developer Conference:

https://developer.apple.com/wwdc

Welcome to the first episode of The Family History AI Show!

This week, Mark and Steve dive into the latest developments in AI and how they are transforming the world of genealogy. From the new tools announced recently by OpenAI and Google to big stories from the National Genealogical Society conference, this episode is packed with insights and tips for leveraging AI in your family history research.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

2:00 – AI In the News

2:20 – OpenAI announces ChatGPT 4o

9:05 – Google Gemini gets smarter with bigger prompts

13:25 – Family Search offers full-text search to more records

18:16 – National Genealogical Society Conference Update

23:30 – AI Tip – Use AI for things that you are already good at

30:25 – Rapid Fire Topics

30:30 – Microsoft announce “Co-Pilot + PC” and “Recall”

38:05 – Rumor: Apple’s Siri will be improved with ChatGPT

41:25 – Upcoming workshops, events and announcements

The National Genealogical Society AI Toolbox Series

https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/ai/aitoolboxworkshop/

The Ontario Genealogical Society Annual Conference

https://conference2024.ogs.on.ca/

AI Genealogy Seminars: From Basics to Breakthroughs

https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/courses/ai-genealogy-seminars-from-basics-to-breakthroughs/

Join co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little to explore the latest developments in AI and Family History.

This week, they discuss Ancestry's innovative new tool for summarizing key US records. They also review Ancestry’s new AI chatbot that greatly simplifies finding the best support documents. Next, they gawk at Google's impressive Gemini 1.5 Pro update. Then, they wrap up the week’s top news stories by reviewing the growing importance of small language models and how they promise faster and more secure AI tools for genealogists.

This week’s Tip of the Week provides a practical guide for genealogists on using AI to Extract key information from large documents.

In RapidFire, they cover OpenAI's groundbreaking real-time voice chat, recent AI regulation developments, Google's monopoly ruling, and the controversy surrounding Google's Olympics ad.

With expert insights and engaging discussions, this podcast is essential listening for genealogists looking to harness the power of AI in their family history research.

Please let us know how we’re doing by leaving us a review—your feedback helps us shape the future of the show!

AI In the News:

00:00:00: Ancestry's new AI features: Ancestry introduces two AI tools to enhance user experience in record summarization and learning how to use Ancestry.

00:11:29: Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro update: Google's latest AI model shows significant improvement, rising to the top of the chatbot rankings.

00:15:20: Small Language Models: The growing importance of small language models in providing faster, more private AI solutions.

Tip of the Week:

00:20:44: AI Building Block Series - Extraction: How to effectively use AI to extract valuable information from genealogical documents and texts.

RapidFire:

00:31:20: OpenAI's voice chat feature: OpenAI's new real-time voice chat capability promises to revolutionize AI interactions.

00:35:31: AI regulation developments: Recent regulatory actions in the EU and California aim to address AI risks and benefits.

00:39:42: Google monopoly ruling: Google's designation as a monopoly in search could lead to significant changes in the tech landscape.

00:42:18: Google's Olympics ad controversy: Google's AI-assisted letter writing ad sparks debate on appropriate AI use in personal tasks.

Ask Ancestry AI: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Ancestry-AI-Assistant

Google Gemini 1.5 Pro: https://gemini.google.com/updates

LLMSYS Chatbot leaderboard: https://chat.lmsys.org/?leaderboard

OpenAI's advanced voice chat feature: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9617425-advanced-voice-mode-faq

Genetic Genealogy Tips and Tricks Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/237902130006828

Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255245945084761

European Union AI Act: https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/high-level-summary/

California's Safe and Secure Innovation Law for Frontier AI Models: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1047

Ancestry AI Tools, DNA Research Assistant, Record Summarization, Google Gemini Update, Chatbot Rankings, Small Language Models, AI Privacy Concerns, Genealogy Tech Innovations, AI Extraction Techniques, Family History Research, AI Regulation, European Union AI Act, California AI Legislation, Google Monopoly Ruling, OpenAI Voice Chat, AI Ethics In Marketing, Genealogy Data Processing, AI Building Blocks, Tech Industry Developments, AI In Everyday Life

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the potential benefits of Meta's open-source approach to AI. Next, they discuss MyHeritage's plans to retire an AI feature. Then, they review the AI image generation features recently added to Adobe Illustrator. 

In this week’s Tip of the Week, they share valuable insights on crafting effective, hallucination-resistant, AI prompts using the “role, task, and format” prompting method.

The RapidFire segment covers Apple's AI delays, Google's impressive math achievements, Reddit's web crawling restrictions, OpenAI's venture into AI-based search, and Meta's groundbreaking image recognition advancements.

This episode offers a perfect blend of practical applications and future possibilities, making it essential listening for genealogists navigating the AI revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a family history buff, this show provides the knowledge you need to stay ahead in the rapidly changing world of AI.

## In the News

03:18 Meta's Impact on Corporate Genealogy: Discussion of Meta.ai's release and its implications

07:54 MyHeritage's AI Feature Removal: Retirement of AI Record Finder tool

10:11 Adobe's AI Integration: New AI features in Adobe Illustrator

## Tip of the Week

19:32 Building Better Prompts: Role, Task, and Format: Explanation and examples of this prompting technique

## RapidFire Topics

27:55 Apple's AI Delays: Postponement of Apple Intelligence Tools

33:18 Google's AI Math Achievement: AI Performance in Math Olympics

36:55 Reddit's Web Crawling Restrictions: Implications for AI training data

41:22 OpenAI's SearchGPT Development: Potential impact on search engines and competitors

45:30 Meta's SAM 2 Release: Advancements in image and video recognition

Adobe Acrobat: https://acrobat.adobe.com/

Adobe Illustrator: https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html

Adobe Lightroom: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html

Adobe Photoshop: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html

Airtable: https://www.airtable.com/

Apple Intelligence: https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/

Canva: https://www.canva.com/

ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

Claude (Anthropic): https://claude.ai/

FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/

Gemini (Google): https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/

Google AI: https://ai.google/

Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/

Meta AI: https://ai.meta.com/

Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/

MyHeritage: https://www.myheritage.com/

OpenAI: https://openai.com/

Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/

SearchGPT: https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/

Segment Anything Model (SAM) by Meta: https://ai.meta.com/sam2/

Tags: AI in Genealogy, Meta AI, MyHeritage, Adobe Illustrator, AI Prompts, Open Source AI, Apple Intelligence, Google AI, Reddit, OpenAI, SearchGPT, SAM 2, Image Recognition, Family History, Genealogy Tools, AI Ethics, Transcription, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR), Perplexity, Large Language Models, AI-Enabled Search, Artificial Intelligence, Genealogical Research, AI Record Finder, Prompting Techniques, AI Integration, Web Crawling, Data Privacy, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, AI in Adobe Products, AI Math Capabilities, Digital Genealogy, AI-Powered Tools, Genealogy Software, AI Advancements, Family Tree Research, AI for Historians, Future of Genealogy

In this week’s episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Meta AI 3.1's huge large language model upgrade, as well as FamilySearch's innovative, AI-based summarization feature. They then address growing concerns about AI hype. In this week’s Tip of the Week, they share their approach for mastering the fine art of summarization, a crucial AI skill for genealogical research. The show rounds off with rapid-fire discussions of Google's privacy policy update, Apple's response to accusations made about their training data, and exciting developments in AI-powered education. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a family history buff, this episode offers invaluable insights into how AI is revolutionizing genealogy and beyond.

Please share this episode with a friend!

In the News

01:01 Meta AI 3.1: A Huge Upgrade, and it’s Free!

13:09 FamilySearch's New AI Summarization Feature

20:16 Addressing AI Hype Concerns

Tip of the Week

24:59 AI Building Blocks: Summarization

AI RapidFire

31:25 Google's Privacy Policy Update

36:57 Apple's Response to Training Data Accusations

40:02 Apple vs. Google: Platform Competition Heats Up

44:59 AI in Education: New Developments and Partnerships

Meta AI: https://meta.ai

FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/

OpenAI (ChatGPT): https://openai.com/chatgpt

Anthropic (Claude): https://www.anthropic.com

Google (Gemini): https://gemini.google.com/app

Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com

Apple AI: https://www.apple.com/ai

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com

Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org

Google DeepMind: https://www.deepmind.com

Andrej Karpathy's Eureka Labs: https://eurekalabs.ai/

Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Family History, Genealogy, Large Language Models, Meta AI, Facebook AI, Family Search, AI Summarization, OCR, Land Records, AI Model Comparison, Open Source AI, AI Adoption, AI Investment, AI Winter, AI Ethics, Data Privacy, Training Data, Google Privacy Policy, YouTube Closed Captions, Apple AI, AI Research, Platform Competition, AI Ecosystems, AI in Education, Khan Academy, Microsoft AI, Andrej Karpathy, AI Tutoring, AI Learning

In this episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little dive into Perplexity's big upgrade, enhancing research capabilities for family historians. They tackle pressing ethical concerns in AI, exploring copyright issues and training data controversies that impact genealogists. The show introduces a new series on building better prompts, offering practical tips to maximize AI tools. In the rapid-fire segment, they cover open-source developments, geopolitical influences on AI, and exciting updates from industry leaders like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Apple. Whether you're a tech-savvy genealogist or new to AI, this episode provides valuable insights to navigate the evolving landscape of family history research in the digital age. Tune in for expert analysis and practical advice on leveraging AI in your genealogical pursuits.

Welcome and introduction

2:12 AI In the News

2:30 Story 1: Perplexity upgrade

7:20 Story 2: Ethical issues in AI

13:55 Tip of the Week: Build Better Prompts

21:40 AI Rapid Fire

21:40 Open source developments in AI

24:08 Geopolitical issues affecting AI tools

26:38 Anthropic's Claude and new features

29:08 Changes in OpenAI board membership

32:35 Google Pixel 9 AI features

37:20 Delay in Apple's Siri upgrades

38:53 Tout Fini!

• Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/

• OpenAI: https://openai.com/

• Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/

• Google: https://www.google.com/

• Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/

• Apple: https://www.apple.com/

• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

• Claude AI: https://www.anthropic.com/

• Google Gemini: https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/

• NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/

• Meta (Facebook): https://about.meta.com/

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/

In this episode of The Family History AI Show, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss the latest advancements in AI tools for genealogists.

Discover how Anthropic’s new Claude Projects feature stacks up against OpenAI’s custom GPTs, and learn about essential reusable prompts for genealogical research.

We also highlight key insights from the GRIP Annual Institute’s AI panel, addressing top questions from genealogy students.

Don’t miss our AI Tip of the Week, where we reveal strategies for effective chatbot interactions to enhance research efficiency: basic prompt advice.

Stay informed with rapid-fire updates on the newest developments from OpenAI, Google, and Eleven Labs. Tune in for expert advice and the latest AI news to boost your family history research.

[00:00:00] Introduction: Overview of the episode's topics

[00:00:11] Family History AI in the News

[00:00:45] Claude Projects by Anthropic

[00:06:40] Comparison of Claude Projects and OpenAI Custom GPTs

[00:14:20] GRIP Institute on AI and Genealogy

[00:24:45] Family History AI Tip of the Week

[00:24:58] Chatting with Your Chatbot: Importance of Prompting Basics

[00:28:20] AI RapidFire

[00:28:35] OpenAI Updates: Mac app release; ChatGPT voice assistant delay

[00:30:45] Google Updates: Gemini integration with Gmail and Google Docs

[00:32:30] OpenAI Content Licensing Deals

[00:35:40] Eleven Labs Text-to-Speech: Licensed voices for realistic text-to-speech

[00:40:40] Closing Remarks: Recap of the episode; Upcoming events

Anthropic Claude Projects: https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

OpenAI Custom GPTs: https://chatgpt.com/gpts

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP): https://www.gripitt.org

OpenAI ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com

Anthropic Claude: https://www.anthropic.com/claude

Google Gemini: https://ai.google.com/gemini

Time Magazine: https://time.com

The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com

Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io

Tags: AI Tools, Genealogy, Claude Projects, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Anthropic, Custom GPTs, Reusable Prompts, GRIP Annual Institute, Family History, Genealogical Research, Artificial Intelligence, LLMs, Chatbot Tips, AI in Genealogy, Time Magazine, Eleven Labs, Text to Speech, Google Gemini, AI News, Podcast

Hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss Steve's recent AI course for genealogists at GRIP and the rapid pace of learning and practical applications for genealogy. 

They examine the industry-wide effects of Apple's focus on AI privacy and security, including at OpenAI. The launch of Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet is a major advancement, offering huge improvements for genealogical research. 

This week’s Tip of The Week emphasizes the value of using AI for small, repetitive tasks. 

They also cover new industry-wide initiatives for identifying AI-generated images, updates to Adobe Acrobat's AI features, and the growing global interest in AI for genealogy.

Family History AI in the News

00:43 - Steve's Update on "AI from Basics to Breakthroughs" at GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh).

06:42- Apple Intelligence’s industry Impact on privacy and security in AI.

08:59 - Claude 3.5 Sonnet is a significant development in AI.

Tip of the Week:

15:26 - Six Minutes Over Silver Bullets.

AI Rapid Fire

17:53 – A new consortium, led by Adobe, is helping identify AI-generated images.

19:43 - Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant Update allows multiple documents to be analyzed or summarized simultaneously.

22:09 – The Global Impact of AI on the Family History Community

24:06 – Tout Fini

National Genealogical Society https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh) https://www.gripitt.org/

Apple Intelligence https://machinelearning.apple.com/

OpenAI https://openai.com/

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (by Anthropic) https://www.anthropic.com/

Google Gemini https://ai.google/

Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/features/ai-assistant.html

Ontario Genealogical Society https://ogs.on.ca/

Society of Australian Genealogists https://www.sag.org.au/

Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai

FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/

Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/

MyHeritage https://www.myheritage.com/

Genealogy, Family History, Artificial Intelligence, AI in Genealogy, Genealogy Research, AI Education, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, GRIP, National Genealogical Society, DNA Analysis, Document Transcription, Historical Photographs, AI Models, Privacy and Security, Safe Super Intelligence Inc, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Genealogy Technology, Pedigree Charts, AI Tools, Adobe AI Consortium, Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant, International Genealogy, Ontario Genealogical Society, Society of Australian Genealogists, AI Applications in Genealogy

In this episode of the Family History AI Show, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss recent developments in AI for genealogy.

They recap the groundbreaking AI Day at the Ontario Genealogical Society conference, highlighting the engaging presentations made throughout the conference. An exclusive interview with Daniel Horowitz reveals MyHeritage's user-friendly approach to AI. The hosts discuss tech giants' recent challenges and contrast them with Apple's strategic AI implementation.

The Tip of The Week provides practical advice on managing AI hallucinations. Leveraging custom GPTs for genealogical research takes center stage.

The episode also touches on the power of AI in summarization, as demonstrated in a recent Research Like a Pro podcast. Wrapping up, Steve previews his upcoming course on AI in genealogy at GRIP, promising an in-depth exploration of this rapidly evolving field.

00:30 Headlines

01:15 Big AI Conference in Toronto

Life at the Jagged Edge. 

10:00 Perplexity gets called out by Forbes Magazine

11:42 Microsoft delays Recall on Copilot + PCs

13:50 More thoughts on the importance of Apple Intelligence

20:35 Interview with Daniel Horowitz, MyHeritage’s Expert Genealogist

30:20 Tip of the Week: Managing Hallucinations

AI Rapidfire

40:18 Microsoft Removing Support for CustomGPTs from Copilot

45:00 Nicole Dyer, from Research Like a Pro, covers summarization and introduces the importance of disclosure

49:20 Perplexity goes after Google by offering common Google searches

50:50 Upcoming courses and announcements

53:54 Tout fini

Ontario Genealogical Society conference

https://conference2024.ogs.on.ca/

MyHeritage AI tools

https://www.myheritage.com/ai-time-machine

Perplexity AI

https://www.perplexity.ai/

Microsoft Delays Recall amid Security Concerns

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/06/microsoft-recall-delayed-after-privacy-and-security-concerns

Apple's AI strategy

https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2024/06/introducing-apple-intelligence-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac/

Chat GPT

https://openai.com/chatgpt

Claude AI

https://www.anthropic.com/claude

Google's Gemini

https://blog.google/products/gemini/

Research Like a Pro podcast

https://familylocket.com/the-research-like-a-pro-genealogy-podcast/

Custom GPTs and reusable prompts

https://aigenealogyinsights.com/2024/01/10/exploring-custom-gpts-my-journey-into-ai-tools-for-genealogy/

DNA Painter

https://dnapainter.com/

Ethan Mollick on X

https://x.com/emollick

OpenAI's GPT-4

https://openai.com/research/gpt-4

Blaine Bettinger's Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence Facebook group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255245945084761

AI Genealogy Insights website

https://www.aigenealogyinsights.com/

Research Like a Pro podcast episode 310

https://familylocket.com/research-like-a-pro-podcast/

Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, ChatGPT, AI Conferences, AITipOfTheWeek, TipOfTheWeek, Ethical AI, Disclosure, Genealogy Research, Perplexity, ChatGPT, AI in Genealogy, AI Tools, Technology in Genealogy, AI Transparency, AI and Privacy

In this episode of the Family History AI Show, co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss the exciting developments in AI announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) last week. In particular, Apple's promise of a more secure, private approach to AI. Apple's approach to AI is compared with Microsoft's Recall feature and Google's Memory, highlighting the importance of security and privacy to genealogists.

Mark and Steve also discuss recent updates to ChatGPT's Data Analyst, showcasing its improved spreadsheet analysis capabilities, which could greatly simplify research for some genealogists.

This episode's AI Tip of the Week encourages labeling of AI-generated content to give the gift of trust to future researchers.

1:30 Apple announced a new kind of AI last week, Apple Intelligence

12:15 Microsoft Recall feature highlights privacy and security concerns

22:37 ChatGPT's Data Analyst update

35:39 Family History AI Tip of the Week: Give the gift of trust to future generations by labelling AI content

42:10 AI Rapid Fire: International adoption of AI tools on the rise

51:22 Upcoming AI events with Mark and Steve

OpenAI: 

https://www.openai.com

ChatGPT: 

https://chatgpt.com/ 

Improvements to data analysis in ChatGPT

https://openai.com/index/improvements-to-data-analysis-in-chatgpt/

“Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI)” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai

Anthropic:

https://www.anthropic.com

Meta AI:

https://ai.facebook.com

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP):

https://www.gripitt.org

National Genealogical Society AI Toolbox Series

https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/ai/aitoolboxworkshop/

Apple Worldwide Developer Conference:

https://developer.apple.com/wwdc

ArtificialIntelligence, AI, Genealogy, FamilyHistory, Apple, AppleIntelligence, WWDC, Microsoft, MicrosoftRecall, Google, GoogleMemory, Chromebooks, ChatGPT, DataAnalyst, StructuredData, Spreadsheets, AIEthics, FutureProofing, InternationalAI, AIAdoption, GenealogyAI, FamilyHistoryAI, AIGenealogy, AIFamilyHistory, AIResearch, GenealogyResearch, LetterResearch, DocumentResearch

In this episode of the Family History AI Show, Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the latest AI news, views and reviews for family historians. 

They start with Google Gemini's new file upload capabilities and examine AI's impact on genealogy education, offering practical advice for researchers. Then, they discuss the increasing availability of saved prompts across AI platforms.

Don’t miss this week’s Tip of The Week: Using examples to improve the reliability of the responses that you get from your AI. 

RapidFire announcements include the upcoming release of OpenAI's "strawberry" model and potential upgrades to digital assistants such as Alexa.

This episode blends news with practical tips, providing listeners with valuable insights to harness AI's potential in uncovering family stories and improving research techniques. 

AI In the News

01:37 Google Releases Gemini Gems: New features for document analysis and mobile access

07:35 Genealogists go Back to School: The Impact of AI of Education

13:30 Saved Prompts: Discussion on the widespread adoption of saved prompts across AI Tools

Tip of the Week

19:45 Building Better Prompts - Examples: Improve responses by providing examples in prompts

RapidFire

27:00 OpenAI's "Strawberry" Announcement: Enhanced Reasoning Capabilities

32:00 Top 50 List of AI Tools Announced

36:02 Amazon's Alexa Upgrade: Claude AI Coming to an Alexa Near You

40:33 Wild Vision Arena Leaderboard: New benchmark for AI image analysis capabilities

45:42 Perplexity Plans To Introduce Ads: AI search tool's future business model

Google Gemini

https://gemini.google.com

OpenAI ChatGPT

https://chat.openai.com

Anthropic Claude

www.claude.ai

Perplexity AI

https://www.perplexity.ai

Google Gemini "Gems"

https://blog.google/products/gemini/google-gemini-update-august-2024/

Anthropic "Projects"

https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

OpenAI

https://openai.com

Character AI

https://character.ai/

Suno AI

https://www.suno.ai

Amazon Alexa

https://www.amazon.com/alexa-help-resources/b?ie=UTF8&node=21576560011

Wild Vision Arena Leaderboard

https://huggingface.co/spaces/WildVision/vision-arena

OpenAI "Strawberry" model

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-o1-strawberry-problem-reasoning/

Andresen Horowitz Top 100 List

https://a16z.com/100-gen-ai-apps/

ChatGPT Advanced Voice

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9617425-advanced-voice-mode-faq

Apple iPhone

https://www.apple.com/iphone

Apple Intelligence

https://www.apple.com/ca/apple-intelligence/

Google Pixel phones

https://store.google.com/category/phones

Microsoft Copilot

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot

OpenAI Search GPT

https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/

artificial intelligence, AI, technology, machine learning, genealogy, family history, AI tools, chatbots, large language models, AI research, AI news, AI updates, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Alexa, Perplexity, Character AI, AI vision, AI voice assistants, AI ethics, AI regulations, AI benchmarks, AI subscriptions, AI advertising, AI development, AI education, prompt engineering, AI leaderboards, AI investments, AI companies, AI features, AI devices, international AI access

In this special edition of the Family History AI Show, co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little do a deep dive into OpenAI's latest release, code-named "Project Strawberry."

They explain the new ChatGPT-o1 models, discuss their reasoning capabilities and most importantly, their potential impacts on genealogical research. They also offer practical advice on when and how to use these new tools effectively.

Don't miss this week's Tip of the Week: How to create the new o1 models' reasoning capabilities for free using chain-of-thought prompting.

In RapidFire, they cover upcoming OpenAI developments, including potential October releases and the future "Orion" model.

This episode blends in-depth analysis with practical tips, providing listeners with valuable insights on leveraging AI tools for family history research.

In the News Special: ChatGPT o1-Preview

01:57 Project Strawberry: Introduction to OpenAI's new ChatGPT-01 models

09:20 What are the new ChatGPT o1 models best for?

15:15 When not to use the new ChatGPT-o1 models for genealogy tasks

Tip of the Week

19:25 Simulating ChatGPT-01 capabilities using free tools: Chain-of-thought prompting

RapidFire

27:25 Predictions for OpenAI's October Developer Event

32:00 The future "Orion" model: What to expect from GPT-5

35:05 OpenAI's latest funding round and its implications for the AI industry

38:20 Five Star Review

Victoria Genealogical Society

https://victoriags.org

East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference

https://ecggc.org/

North Carolina Genealogical Society

https://www.ncgenealogy.org

OpenAI

https://openai.com

ChatGPT

https://chat.openai.com

ChatGPT-01 Preview

https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-o1-preview/

Perplexity AI

https://www.perplexity.ai

Claude (Anthropic)

https://claude.ai/

Google Gemini

https://gemini.google.com

OpenAI Developer Day

https://openai.com/devday/

OpenAI Advanced Voice

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8400625-voice-mode-faq

SearchGPT

https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/

OpenAI Nears Largest VC Fundraising Round of All Time at $6.5B

https://www.adweek.com/media/openai-largest-vc-fundraising-round/

artificial intelligence, AI, technology, genealogy, family history, OpenAI, ChatGPT, GPT-4, AI models, AI reasoning, AI development, AI funding, AI tools, chatbots, large language models, AI research, AI news, AI updates, Project Strawberry, ChatGPT-o1, Orion, prompt engineering, chain-of-thought prompting, AI capabilities, AI limitations, AI for genealogy, genetic genealogy, AI investment, AI industry trends, AI conferences, AI features, AI analysis

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little are excited to share OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode, which enables natural conversations with AI, and how FamilySearch's expanded full-text Search is revolutionizing records accessibility. They stress responsible AI use throughout this week's episode, introducing a new series on verifying the accuracy of AI-generated information.

Send your stories of AI accuracy (or accuracy failures) to ResponsibleAI@MakingFamilyHistory.com

New tools like Google's Notebook LM and Apple's Visual Intelligence promise to enhance research capabilities. Throughout, cohosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little emphasize the need for accuracy and verification of facts to combat AI "hallucinations."

Genealogists must adapt their skills to leverage these powerful tools as AI evolves.

The episode highlights the exciting potential and the critical importance of responsible AI use in family history research.

In the News

02:11 ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode Finally Arrives

23:26 FamilySearch Full-Text Search Adds a Million Canadian Probate and Homestead Records

Tip of the Week

30:42 Responsible AI Series Debuts: Accuracy Takes Center Stage

RapidFire

38:55 Google's NotebookLM is Easy, Powerful Collaborative Workspace

46:17 Google Battles Hallucinations with Real-World Data

49:28 Apple's Visual Intelligence Promises to Enhance Historical Exploration

Email your stories of accurate AI done right (and complete accuracy failures) to responsibleai@makingfamilyhistory.com

OpenAI Advanced Voice Mode: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8400625-voice-mode-faq

Meta debuts AI chatbot voiced by celebrities: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meta-ai-chatbot-celebrity-voices-judi-dench-john-cena-awkwafina-mark-zuckerberg/

Google Gemini Live: https://blog.google/products/gemini/made-by-google-gemini-ai-updates/

FamilySearch Full-text Search: https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text

Google Notebook LM: https://blog.google/technology/ai/notebooklm-audio-overviews/

Google DataGemma: https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-datagemma-ai-llm/

Apple Visual Intelligence: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-and-iphone-16-plus/

artificial intelligence, genealogy, family history, technology, AI tools, ChatGPT, FamilySearch, full-text search, probate records, responsible AI use, Google, Apple, voice assistants, Canadian records, Irish names, OCR technology, AI accuracy, hallucinations in AI, AI ethics, NotebookLM, hands-free research, mobile genealogy, AI-powered transcription, historical records, Data Gemma, NotebookLM, Visual Intelligence

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little recap their experiences at the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference last week, highlighting Dana Leeds' innovative use of AI for efficiently created charts using the Leeds Method.

They then explore OpenAI's new Canvas feature, comparing it to Claude's Artifacts, and discuss its potential for genealogical research.

Next, Mark and Steve review Google's Notebook LM, examining its ability to turn documents into engaging podcasts and its usefulness for genealogical research.

Don’t miss this week's Tip of the Week, which focuses on the importance of disclosing AI-generated content in genealogical work.

In RapidFire, they cover Google Photos' upcoming AI-powered search feature, Nobel Prizes awarded to AI researchers, Microsoft's reintroduction of screen capture technology as Copilot Vision, and more.

Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a family historian, this episode offers valuable insights into the latest AI advancements and their impact on genealogy.

In the News:

02:51 Recap of East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference

07:35 Dana Leeds' innovative use of AI for the Leeds Method

12:52 OpenAI's new Canvas feature

20:54 Google's Notebook LM and its applications in genealogy

Tip of the Week:

29:16 Disclosing AI-generated content in genealogical work

RapidFire:

42:34 Google Photos' upcoming AI-powered search

47:26 Nobel Prizes awarded to AI researchers

53:16 Microsoft's Copilot Vision: Reintroduction of screen capture technology

57:32 Closing thoughts and announcements

East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference

https://ecggc.org/

The Leeds Method with Claude Artifacts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp5DzuLeaN4

ChatGPT

https://openai.com/chatgpt

Claude AI

https://www.anthropic.com/claude

OpenAI

https://openai.com/

Google Notebook LM

https://notebooklm.google/

FamilySearch

https://www.familysearch.org

MyHeritage

https://www.myheritage.com/

Google Photos

https://photos.google.com/

Nobel Prize

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2024/summary/

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2024/summary/

Microsoft Copilot Vision

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/2024/10/01/introducing-copilot-labs-and-copilot-vision/

Adobe

https://www.adobe.com/

Google DeepMind

https://deepmind.google/

Microsoft Edge

https://www.microsoft.com/edge

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, ChatGPT, Claude, Canvas, Artifacts, Notebook LM, AI Ethics, AI Disclosure, East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, Leeds Method, AI in Research, Google Photos, Nobel Prize, AI Researchers, Copilot Vision, Screen Capture, AI Advancements, Genealogical Research, AI Tools, AI News, Responsible AI Use, AI Privacy, AI Safety, AI Development

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine OpenAI's new Canvas feature, demonstrating how this split-screen interface revolutionizes document creation and editing for genealogists. Locality guides and research reports are used as practical examples.

They explore how AI platforms like Canvas and Perplexity Spaces are challenging traditional software, suggesting a future where content creation happens primarily within AI environments rather than conventional office applications.

This week's Tip of the Week addresses critical privacy considerations when using AI tools, introducing the practical "Water Cooler Rule" for protecting sensitive genealogical data.

In RapidFire, they discuss Apple's research on AI reasoning, NotebookLM's enhanced audio overview capabilities for turning historical documents into conversations, and preview Apple's upcoming AI features in iOS 18.1.

Whether you're embracing AI tools or just starting to explore them, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of AI’s and genealogical research.

In the News:

04:15 OpenAI Canvas: The New Frontier of AI Writing

12:40 The Great Shift: AI Platforms vs Traditional Software

26:20 Perplexity Spaces: Collaborative AI Research Breakthrough

Tip of the Week:

31:30 Privacy & Protection: Smart Guidelines for AI Use in Family History

RapidFire:

39:15 Apple's Research on AI Reasoning: What It Means for Users

43:40 NotebookLM's Game-Changing Audio Features

49:25 Apple Intelligence: iOS 18.1 Preview

OpenAI

ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

Canvas feature: https://openai.com/index/introducing-canvas/

Anthropic

Claude 3.5 Sonnet: https://www.anthropic.com/claude/sonnet

Artifacts feature: https://support.anthropic.com/en/articles/9487310-what-are-artifacts-and-how-do-i-use-them

Projects feature: https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

Google

NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google.com/

Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/

Google Slides: https://slides.google.com/  

Audio Overview feature: https://blog.google/technology/ai/notebooklm-update-october-2024/

Perplexity

Spaces (collaborative feature): https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/faq/what-are-spaces

Pages feature: https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/perplexity-pages

Microsoft

Microsoft Office: https://www.office.com/

Microsoft Word: https://www.microsoft.com/word

Microsoft Excel: https://www.microsoft.com/excel

Outlook with Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/outlook

Apple

Apple Intelligence: https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/

Siri: https://www.apple.com/siri/

VOICE ASSISTANTS:

Siri (Apple): https://www.apple.com/siri/

Alexa (Amazon): https://developer.amazon.com/alexa

Google Assistant: https://assistant.google.com/

GENEALOGY RESOURCES:

North Carolina Genealogical Society: https://www.ncgenealogy.org/

National Genealogical Society (NGS): https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

East Coast Genetic Genealogy Seminar: https://ecggc.org/

Internet Archive (archive.org): https://archive.org/

RESEARCH TOOLS:

Leeds Method (DNA analysis): https://www.danaleeds.com/the-leeds-method/

Custom GPTs: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpts/

PRESENTERS/EXPERTS MENTIONED:

David McCorkle: http://davidmccorkle.com/

Dana Leeds: https://www.danaleeds.com/

Professor Ethan Mullock (author of "Cointelligence"): https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/i-cyborg-using-co-intelligence

Family History, Genealogy, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Generative AI, OpenAI Canvas, Canvas, AI Writing, Privacy Tips, Apple AI, Perplexity Spaces, NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Claude, Anthropic, Microsoft Office, Google Notebook, Perplexity, iOS 18, Genealogy Tools, Family Research, DNA Genealogy, Genealogy Research, Family Historian, AI Tools, Content Creation, Digital Writing, Collaboration, Workspaces, Smart Assistants, Document Editing, Research Tools, Writing Tools, Data Privacy, Data Protection, AI Privacy, AI Ethics, Target Audience: Genealogists, Family Historians, Tech Writers, Researchers, Digital Creators.

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet upgrade has made Claude an even better AI writer. This make's it even easier to write a great research report. 

They move on to explore OpenAI's new desktop apps and Advanced Voice Mode, discussing how voice interaction could transform genealogical research, particularly for those who prefer speaking to typing. Combining search and AI in the same tool will be a huge timesaver for genealogy research.

This week's Tip of the Week reveals the best ways to leverage free AI tools for family history research. There’s no need to pay for AI tools if you only need these features a few times a day.

In RapidFire, they examine the future of AI agents, Apple's cautious AI rollout in iOS 18.1, and Meta's strategic content partnership with Reuters.

In the News:

02:20  Claude 3.5 Sonnet (new): AI Writing Reaches New Heights

06:50 ChatGPT Desktop Apps: Now Available for Both Macs and PCs

14:00 AI Search Gets Real: AI-Enhanced Search From ChatGPT

Tip of the Week:

19:20 Free AI Tools: How To Get Premium AI Results For Free

RapidFire:

26:50 AI Agents: The Future of Computer Interaction

31:20 Apple Intelligence: IOS 18.1 Starts the Rollout of AI for Apple

40:26 Meta's Reuters Deal: The First (of Many?) Content Partnerships for Facebook

ANTHROPIC

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

https://www.anthropic.com/claude/sonnet

Projects feature

https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

OPENAI

ChatGPT

https://chatgpt.com/

Desktop Apps

https://openai.com/chatgpt/desktop/

Advanced Voice Mode

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8400625-voice-mode-faq

GPT Search

https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-search/

APPLE

iOS 18.1

https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2024/10/apple-intelligence-is-available-today-on-iphone-ipad-and-mac/

Apple Intelligence

https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/

Siri

https://www.apple.com/siri/

Apple Photo Search

https://9to5mac.com/2024/09/25/photos-search-in-ios-181-actually-works-thanks-to-apple-intelligence/

META

Meta AI

https://ai.meta.com/meta-ai/

Reuters Partnership

https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/meta-platforms-use-reuters-news-content-ai-chatbot-2024-10-25/

MISC

Perplexity

https://www.perplexity.ai

Microsoft Copilot

https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Family History, Genealogy, AI, Mobile Technology, Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, Generative AI, AI Search, Voice Assistants, AI Agents, Research Tools, Content Creation, Digital Writing, Document Analysis, Privacy, Data Protection, AI Ethics, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence, Meta AI, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, iOS 18.1, Siri, AI Writing, Desktop Applications, Mobile Apps, Photo Organization, Email Tools, Content Partnerships, Source Citation, Voice Interaction, User Experience, Cloud Services, Free Tools, Premium Features, Tool Comparison, Workflow Optimization, Family Research, Genealogy Tools, Research Reports, Narrative Writing, Genealogists, Family Historians, Tech Writers, Researchers, Digital Creators

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the AI developments that had the biggest impact on genealogy in 2024.

This week’s episode spotlights MyHeritage's newest viral tool, LiveMemory, which brings old photos to life through animation. Next, Mark and Steve count down the year's top AI breakthroughs for genealogists. The groundbreaking FamilySearch full-text search takes the top spot by providing unprecedented access to huge collections of handwritten records. Mark and Steve also discuss the genealogy community's migration to Bluesky.

Don’t miss this week’s tip of the week, which provides practical tips for using AI to help you research your ancestors’ home countries. 

This week’s rapid fire stories include major industry developments at Google, OpenAI, and Amazon.

This episode showcases how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing family history research for genealogists at all levels.

IN THE NEWS

03:02 MyHeritage's Goes Viral (again!) with LiveMemory

10:56 Top Five AI Breakthroughs for Genealogists in 2024

Chatbots Learn How to Reason (OpenAI’s o1-preview)

Content Creation Within Chatbots (Artifacts, Canvas)

Collaborative Research Spaces (NotebookLM, Claude Projects, Perplexity Spaces)

AI-Enhanced Search (SearchGPT, Perplexity, Google)

FamilySearch Unlocks Handwritten Records

27:27 The Great Bluesky Migration

TIP OF THE WEEK

32:17 Use AI To Research the Home Country

RAPIDFIRE

40:41 Google Loses Antitrust Cases

44:33 OpenAI Announces Web Browser Initiative

48:25 Amazon's $4B Anthropic Investment

IN THE NEWS

MyHeritage's Goes Viral (again!) with LiveMemory

LiveMemory

https://www.myheritage.com/livememory/

Runway ML

https://runwayml.com/

TOP 5 AI BREAKTHROUGHS

Introducing OpenAI o1-preview

https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-o1-preview/

Claude Artifacts

https://support.anthropic.com/en/articles/9487310-what-are-artifacts-and-how-do-i-use-them

ChatGPT Canvas

https://openai.com/index/introducing-canvas/

Google NotebookLM

https://notebooklm.google.com/

Claude Projects

https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

Perplexity Spaces

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/faq/what-are-spaces

Introducing ChatGPT Search

https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-search/

Perplexity

https://www.perplexity.ai/

Google

https://www.google.com/

FamilySearch Full-Text Search

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/find-the-new-full-text-search-for-historical-records

BLUESKY MIGRATION

Bluesky Social

https://bsky.app/

Mark Thompson’s Bluesky Handle

https://bsky.app/profile/makingfamilyhistory.com

Steve Little’s Bluesky Handle

https://bsky.app/profile/digitalarchivst.bsky.social

RAPIDFIRE

Google Loses Antitrust Cases

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/05/nx-s1-5064624/google-justice-department-antitrust-search

https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-asks-us-appeals-court-reject-app-store-monopoly-verdict-2024-11-27/

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/tech/2024/11/26/chrome-google-forced-sale

OpenAI Announces Web Browser Initiative

https://www.pcmag.com/news/openai-working-on-a-web-browser-to-compete-with-google-chrome

https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-considers-taking-google-with-browser-information-reports-2024-11-21/

Amazon's $4B Anthropic Investment

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/22/24303185/amazon-anthropic-investment-ai-alexa

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Anthropic, Genealogy AI, MyHeritage LiveMemory, Family History Technology, AI Photo Animation, FamilySearch Full-Text Search, Genealogy Search Tools, Historical Photo Animation, Family History Research, AI Genealogy Tools, Digital Genealogy, Handwritten Records Search, Ancestral Research, MyHeritage Tools, Genealogy Technology, Family Photographs, FamilySearch Tools, Genealogy Social Media, Bluesky Genealogy, AI Research Tools, Ancestry Research, Foreign Genealogy Research, Family History Software, Genealogy Databases, AI Document Analysis, Historical Documents, Genealogy Community, Genealogy Tips, Photo Preservation, Genealogy Innovations, Family History Preservation

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little reveal their top recommendations for AI tools worth paying for in 2025. They also discuss which AI tools aren't worth paying for in 2025. One of them might surprise you!

Next, Mark and Steve begin their review of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" announcements, beginning with the release of their enhanced O1 reasoning model. This new model will help you plan your family history research.

This week's Tip of the Week challenges conventional thinking about AI hallucinations, suggesting ways to leverage this characteristic as a feature rather than a bug.

In RapidFire, Mark and Steve examine Microsoft's Copilot Vision beta release, Apple's cautious AI rollout strategy, Google's new memory feature in Gemini, and XAI's significant funding round.

In The News:

03:10 AI Tools Worth Paying For in 2025

19:48 Specialty AI Tools to Consider in 2025

26:46 AI Tools Not Worth Paying For in 2025

32:26 OpenAI's 12 Days of Gifts Begins

Tip of the Week:

40:10 Treat AI Hallucinations as a Feature, not a Bug

RapidFire:

50:06 Microsoft Copilot Vision Beta Launch

53:18 Apple's Intelligence Rollout Plans

56:20 Google Gemini Adds Memory Feature

59:34 XAI's $6 Billion Funding Round

ChatGPT Plus

https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-plus/

ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8400625-voice-mode-faq

Claude Pro

https://claude.ai/

Perplexity Pro

https://www.perplexity.ai/pro

Acrobat AI Assistant

https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/acrobat/using/generative-ai.html

Eleven Labs

https://elevenlabs.io/

Mid Journey

https://www.midjourney.com/

Microsoft Copilot Pro

https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot

Grammarly

https://www.grammarly.com/

ChatGPT O1 Model

https://openai.com/o1/

ChatGPT O1 Pro

https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-pro/

Microsoft Copilot Vision

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/2024/12/05/copilot-vision-now-in-preview-a-new-way-to-browse/

Apple Intelligence

https://www.apple.com/ca/apple-intelligence/

Siri

https://www.apple.com/siri/

Gemini Memory Feature

https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/19/googles-gemini-chatbot-now-has-memory/

X AI Platform

https://x.ai/

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Genealogy, Family History, Machine Learning, AI Tools, AI Product Reviews, AI Pricing, Voice Technology, Image Generation, Research Tools, AI Ethics, Content Creation, Professional Research, Language Models

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" campaign, particularly focusing on their new reasoning models and the expanded availability of Canvas across all ChatGPT models.

They examine how ChatGPT's new camera view in Advanced Voice Mode transforms mobile research capabilities, demonstrating real-world applications for genealogists.

This week's Tip of the Week reveals how to get the most out of free AI tools by leveraging each one's strengths: Gemini for summarization, Perplexity for research, ChatGPT for reasoning, and Claude for writing.

In RapidFire, they discuss Apple's cautious AI updates in iOS 18.2, the release of GPT Search for free account holders, Harvard's million-book donation for AI training, and OpenAI's festive Santa Chat feature.

In the News:

02:41 12 Days of OpenAI: New Features and Updates

12:15 Canvas Integration: Now Available Across All Models

17:24 Advanced Voice Mode: ChatGPT Gets Camera View

Tip of the Week:

23:29 Maximizing Free AI Tools: The Right Tool for Each Task

RapidFire:

35:52 Apple Intelligence: iOS 18.2 AI Features

40:20 Free GPT Search Goes Public

45:22 Harvard's Million-Book Donation for AI Training

51:52 OpenAI's Santa Chat Mode

Resource LinksChatGPT

https://chatgpt.com/

12 Days of OpenAI

https://openai.com/12-days/

ChatGPT Canvas Feature

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/chatgpt/openai-announces-official-launch-of-canvas-for-writing-and-coding-heres-whats-new

ChatGPT Projects Feature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcB97h3vrzk

GPT Search is now free 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2024/12/16/chatgpt-search-now-free-for-all-heres-why-you-should-try-it/

Advanced Voice Mode with Vision

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/chatgpt/chatgpt-advanced-voice-with-vision-just-launched-heres-how-to-try-it

ChatGPT Search and the Chrome Extension

https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-search/

Claude

https://claude.ai

Claude Projects

https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects

Gemini

https://gemini.google.com

Perplexity AI

https://www.perplexity.ai

Perplexity Pages

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/perplexity-pages

Apple Intelligence

https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence

Harvard Digital Collections

https://hls.harvard.edu/today/harvards-library-innovation-lab-launches-initiative-to-use-public-domain-data-to-train-artificial-intelligence/

https://institutionaldatainitiative.org/

ChatGPT Santa Mode

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10139238-santa-s-voice-in-chatgpt

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, OpenAI, Family History Research, Voice Technology, ChatGPT, AI Tools, Content Creation, Canvas, 12 Days of OpenAI

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Google's powerful end-of-year releases that challenge other AI platforms. They examine Google's Deep Research tool and its ability to quickly create comprehensive research reports by combining information from multiple sources.

Next, they discuss Facebook's controversial introduction of AI assistants to Facebook groups and what this might mean for genealogy communities.

The hosts review Google's NotebookLM's significant updates, including enhanced audio capabilities and collaborative features that could transform how genealogists work together.

This week's Tip of the Week demonstrates how ChatGPT Projects can organize and enhance genealogical research, with Steve using his approach to a 2025 genealogy do-over as an example.

In RapidFire, they cover Google's new fact benchmark, Gemini 2.0's release, AI-enhanced search results, and OpenAI's O3 announcement.

In the News:

06:44 Google Deep Research: The New Challenger to Perplexity

18:03 Facebook Groups Get AI Assistants

24:57 NotebookLM: Major Updates for Collaborative Projects

Tip of the Week:

32:15 ChatGPT Projects: Organizing Your Genealogy Do-Over

RapidFire:

41:52 Google's New Fact Benchmark

44:00 Gemini 2.0 Release

48:34 Google AI-Enhanced Search Results

54:48 OpenAI's O3 Model Announcement

AI Seminar at the Victoria Genealogical Society

https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=2488526

Legacy Family Tree Webinars: "Genealogy Meets AI: Panel Discussion"

https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/genealogy-meets-ai-panel-discussion/

Introducing Gemini 2.0: our new AI model for the agentic era

https://blog.google/technology/google-deepmind/google-gemini-ai-update-december-2024/

Certified Arborist Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/12652295162

Exploring Facebook's New AI Tool for Groups

https://aigenealogyinsights.com/2024/10/22/exploring-facebooks-new-ai-tool-for-groups/

NotebookLM gets a new look, audio interactivity and a premium version

https://blog.google/technology/google-labs/notebooklm-new-features-december-2024/

Using Projects in ChatGPT

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10169521-using-projects-in-chatgpt

A new benchmark for evaluating the accuracy of large language models

https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/facts-grounding-a-new-benchmark-for-evaluating-the-

factuality-of-large-language-models/

AI Overviews in Search are coming to more places around the world

https://blog.google/products/search/ai-overviews-search-october-2024/

OpenAI announces new o3 models

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/20/openai-announces-new-o3-model/

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Meta, Content Licensing, AI Conferences, AI Outage, Ethical AI, Disclosure, Genealogy Research, OpenAI Licensing, Google AI Issues, Perplexity Pages, ChatGPT Updates, Meta AI Developments, Grok.AI, AI in Genealogy, AI Tools, Technology in Genealogy, AI Transparency, AI and Privacy

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little share their predictions for artificial intelligence developments in 2025, with a special focus on how these changes will affect genealogists and family historians.

They explore the emergence of AI agents, the shift to running language models locally on personal devices, and the introduction of chatbots to social media platforms. Mark and Steve also discuss how AI writing tools will become mainstream, even as costs decrease and capabilities increase.

Their predictions include both opportunities and challenges, examining which tools may thrive and which may disappoint in the coming year. They conclude with "anti-predictions" – capabilities that, despite high hopes, probably won't materialize in 2025.

What We Can Look Forward to In 2025

01:02 AI Agents: The Next Big Thing

08:06 Local Language Models: Improved Privacy and Security

13:09 Social Media Chatbots: Coming to Your Groups

18:24 AI Writing Tools: The New Normal

24:16 AI Costs: Dropping Fast

30:43 The AI Horse Race: Who Will Lead?

Anti-Predictions: What Won't Happen in 2025

36:01 Handwritten Text Recognition

40:21 AI Generated Family Trees and Diagrams

44:06 Generated Text in Images

Using Claude for 'Computer Use' Tasks

https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/computer-use

OpenAI's Operator Agent

https://openai.com/index/introducing-operator/

Facebook's New AI Tool for Groups

https://aigenealogyinsights.com/2024/10/22/exploring-facebooks-new-ai-tool-for-groups/

What to Know About DeepSeek and How It Is Upending A.I. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/technology/what-is-deepseek-china-ai.html

Trump's $500B Stargate AI Initiative https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronshevlin/2025/01/23/trumps-ai-push-understanding-the-500-billion-stargate-initiative/

artificial intelligence, technology, genealogy, family history, AI predictions, AI agents, local AI, social media, chatbots, AI writing, language models, OpenAI, DeepSeek, privacy, security, AI costs, machine learning, computer automation, research tools, future technology

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how DeepSeek has dramatically changed the AI landscape by releasing a powerful, inexpensive, open-source model that challenges American dominance in AI.

They celebrate the first anniversary of FamilySearch's Full-Text Search, which has expanded from three collections to three thousand in just one-year, revolutionizing access to billions of previously unsearchable records.

Mark and Steve examine how Google and Microsoft are integrating AI into their productivity platforms, making these tools accessible to mainstream family historians at minimal cost.

This week's Tip of the Week demystifies the difference between instructional and reasoning AI models, helping genealogists choose the right tool for the right job.

In RapidFire, they discuss the ambitious $500 billion Project Stargate, major model updates from Gemini and Grok, and how Deep Research capabilities are becoming standard across all AI platforms.

In the News:

04:34 DeepSeek Shakes the AI World: Game-Changing Model from China

15:51 FamilySearch Full-Text Search Turns One: From Thousands to Billions of Records

23:33 Google and Microsoft Go All-In: AI Integrated into Workspace Tools

Tip of the Week:

29:22 Know Your Model: Understanding Instructional vs. Reasoning AI

RapidFire:

42:25 The Stargate Project: $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Initiative

45:38 Major Model Updates: Gemini 2.0 and Grok 3 Beta Released

48:41 Deep Research Becomes Industry Standard: Available Across All Major Platforms

DeepSeek Backgrounder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepSeek

Family Search Free Text Search

https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text/collection/list

Free Text Search of Ireland, Properties, from 1298 to 1975

https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text/collection/M9J1-ZYL

Copilot is now included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/01/16/copilot-is-now-included-in-microsoft-365-personal-and-family/

Google AI now Included in Workspace Plans

https://workspace.google.com/blog/product-announcements/empowering-businesses-with-AI

Introducing OpenAI o1

https://openai.com/o1/

OpenAI o3-mini

https://openai.com/index/openai-o3-mini/

Announcing The Stargate Project

https://openai.com/index/announcing-the-stargate-project/

Gemini 2.0 is now available to everyone

https://blog.google/technology/google-deepmind/gemini-model-updates-february-2025/

Grok 3 Beta — The Age of Reasoning Agents

https://x.ai/blog/grok-3

Try Deep Research

https://blog.google/products/gemini/google-gemini-deep-research/

Introducing deep research from OpenAI

https://openai.com/index/introducing-deep-research/

Introducing Perplexity Deep Research

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-perplexity-deep-research

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Genealogy, Family History, DeepSeek, AI Models, FamilySearch, Full-Text Search, Open Source AI, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Reasoning Models, Instructional Models, Language Models, Stargate Project, AI Infrastructure, Research Tools, Deep Research, AI Capabilities

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's revolutionary update to ChatGPT 4o's image generation capabilities, which now creates photorealistic images with accurate text and consistent characters across multiple images.

They interview Jarrett Ross from The GeneaVlogger YouTube channel, who shares how he uses AI in his business and in his projects, including an innovative facial recognition project that identifies people in historical photographs from Poland.

The hosts also examine OpenAI's O3 model's groundbreaking image analysis abilities, demonstrating how it can now automatically zoom in on handwritten text and reason through complex photographic analysis.

This episode showcases how AI image tools are transforming genealogical research while emphasizing the importance of responsible use.

In the News:

06:26 ChatGPT 4o Image Generation: Photorealism and Text Accuracy Revolution

Interview

30:48   Interview with Jarrett Ross: AI Facial Recognition in Genealogy

RapidFire:

52:01 ChatGPT O3: Advanced Image Analysis with Reasoning Capabilities

ChatGPT 4o Image Generation

https://openai.com/index/introducing-4o-image-generation/

What OpenAI Did -- Ethan Mollick

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/what-openai-did

The GeneaVlogger YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_QNoNtgi2Sk4H9Y2SInmg

OpenAI Releases new o3 and o4 Mini models

https://openai.com/index/introducing-o3-and-o4-mini/

On Jagged AGI: o3, Gemini 2.5, and everything after -- Ethan Mollick

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/on-jagged-agi-o3-gemini-25-and-everything

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Image Generation, Facial Recognition, Photo Analysis, AI Tools, GeneaVlogger, Jarrett Ross, Jewish Genealogy, Historical Photos, Document Analysis, OCR Technology, Handwriting Recognition, Photo Restoration, AI Ethics, Responsible AI Use, Image Authentication, DALL-E, O3 Model, Reasoning Models, Archive Photos, Community Projects

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the controversial rise of AI image "restoration" and discuss how entirely new images are being generated, rather than the original photos being restored. This is raising concerns about the preservation of authentic family photos.

They discuss Mark's reconsideration of canceling his Perplexity subscription after rediscovering its unique strengths for supporting research.

The hosts analyze recent court rulings that permit AI training on legally acquired content, plus Disney's ongoing case against Midjourney.

This week's Tip of the Week explores how project workspaces in ChatGPT and Claude can greatly simplify your genealogical research.

In RapidFire, the hosts cover Meta's aggressive AI hiring spree, the proliferation of AI tools in everyday software, including a new genealogy transcription tool from Dan Maloney, and the importance of reading AI news critically.

In the News:

06:50 The Pros and Cons of "Restoring" Family Photos with AI

23:58 Mark is Cancelling Perplexity... Maybe

32:33 AI Copyright Cases Are Starting to Work Their Way Through the Courts

Tip of the Week:

40:09 How Project Workspaces Help Genealogists Stay Organized

RapidFire:

48:51 Meta Goes on a Hiring Spree

56:09 AI Is Everywhere!

01:06:00 Reading AI News Responsibly

OpenAI: Introducing 4o Image Generation

https://openai.com/index/introducing-4o-image-generation/

Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/

How does Perplexity work?

https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352895-how-does-perplexity-work

Anthropic wins key US ruling on AI training in authors' copyright lawsuit https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/anthropic-wins-key-ruling-ai-authors-copyright-lawsuit-2025-06-24/

Meta wins AI copyright lawsuit as US judge rules against authors https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/26/meta-wins-ai-copyright-lawsuit-as-us-judge-rules-against-authors

Disney, Universal sue image creator Midjourney for copyright infringement https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-universal-sue-image-creator-midjourney-copyright-infringement-2025-06-11/

Disney and Universal Sue A.I. Firm for Copyright Infringement https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/business/media/disney-universal-midjourney-ai.html

Projects in ChatGPT

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10169521-projects-in-chatgpt

Meta shares hit all-time high as Mark Zuckerberg goes on AI hiring blitz https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/30/meta-hits-all-time-mark-zuckerberg-ai-blitz.html

Here's What Mark Zuckerberg Is Offering Top AI Talent

https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerberg-meta-offer-top-ai-talent-300-million/

Genealogy Assistant AI Handwritten Text Recognition Tool

https://www.genea.ca/htr-tool/

Borland Genetics

https://borlandgenetics.com/

Illusion of Thinking

https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/illusion-of-thinking

Simon Willison: Seven replies to the viral Apple reasoning paper -- and why they fall short

https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/15/viral-apple-reasoning-paper/

MIT: Your Brain on ChatGPT

https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/your-brain-on-chatgpt/overview/

MIT researchers say using ChatGPT can rot your brain. The truth is a little more complicated https://theconversation.com/mit-researchers-say-using-chatgpt-can-rot-your-brain-the-truth-is-a-little-more-complicated-259450

Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Genealogy

https://craigen.org/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Tools, Image Generation, AI Ethics, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Meta, Copyright Law, AI Training, Photo Restoration, Project Management, AI Development, Research Tools, Responsible AI Use, GRIP, AI News Analysis, Vibe Coding, Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy, AI Hiring, Dan Maloney, Handwritten Text Recognition

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss recent updates from Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude that are reshaping AI capabilities for genealogists. Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro with its massive context window and Claude 4's hybrid reasoning models that excels at both writing and document analysis.

They share insights from the RootsTech panel on responsible AI use in genealogy, and introduce the Coalition's five core principles for the response use of AI. The episode features an interview with Jessica Taylor, president of Legacy Tree Genealogists, who discusses how her company is thoughtfully experimenting with AI tools.

In RapidFire, they preview ChatGPT 5's anticipated summer release, Meta's $14 billion acquisition to stay competitive, and Adobe Acrobat AI's new multi-document capabilities.

In the News:

03:45 Google Gemini 2.5 Pro: Massive Context Windows Transform Document Analysis

15:09 Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet: Hybrid Reasoning Models for Writing and Research

26:30 RootsTech Panel: Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy

Interview:

31:28 Jessica Taylor, CEO of Legacy Tree Genealogists, on her cautious approach to AI Adoption

RapidFire:

45:07 ChatGPT 5 Coming Soon: One Model to Rule Them All

51:08 Meta's $14.8 Billion Scale AI Acquisition

56:42 Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant Adds Multi-Document Analysis

Google I/O Conference Highlights

https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-io-2025-all-our-announcements/

Anthropic Announces Claude 4

https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-4

Anthropic's new Claude 4 AI models can reason over many steps

https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/22/anthropics-new-claude-4-ai-models-can-reason-over-many-steps/

Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy

https://craigen.org/

Jessica M. Taylor

https://www.apgen.org/users/jessica-m-taylor

Legacy Tree Genealogists

https://www.legacytree.com/

Rootstech

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/

ChatGPT 5 is Coming Soon

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/chatgpt/chatgpt-5-is-coming-soon-heres-what-we-know

Meta's $14.8 billion Scale AI deal latest test of AI partnerships

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/metas-148-billion-scale-ai-deal-latest-test-ai-partnerships-2025-06-13/

A frustrated Zuckerberg makes his biggest AI bet

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/10/zuckerberg-makes-metas-biggest-bet-on-ai-14-billion-scale-ai-deal.html

Adobe upgrades Acrobat AI chatbot to add multi-document analysis

https://www.androidauthority.com/adobe-ai-assistant-acrobat-3451988/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Tools, Google Gemini, Claude AI, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Meta AI, Adobe Acrobat, Responsible AI, Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy, RootsTech, AI Ethics, Document Analysis, AI Writing Tools, Hybrid Reasoning Models, Context Windows, Professional Genealogy, Legacy Tree Genealogists, Jessica Taylor, AI Integration, Multi-Document Analysis, AI Acquisitions

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how AI-based transcriptions are revolutionizing genealogical research across the industry. They examine FamilySearch's Full-Text Search expansion to over 1.25 billion records and Ancestry's new document transcription tool.

The episode features an exclusive interview with David Ouimette from FamilySearch, who reveals how they're making previously unsearchable handwritten documents accessible through AI technology.

This week's Tip of the Week demonstrates Dan Maloney's innovative Genealogy Assistant HTR tool for transcribing multiple documents simultaneously.

In RapidFire, they discuss Grok 4's anticipated release, Apple's shift to integrate ChatGPT and Claude rather than develop their own AI, and Google Photos' new natural language search capabilities powered by Gemini.

In the News:

03:23 AI Transcriptions Everywhere: The New Normal in Genealogy

25:33 Building AI Apps with Claude

Interview:

29:34 David Ouimette on FamilySearch's AI Journey

RapidFire:

49:27 Grok 4 Release Announcement

51:35 Apple Pivots to Third-Party AI Integration

56:02 Google Photos Adds Natural Language Search

Expanded Access to Full-Text Search

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/full-text-search-experimental-ai

Ancestry announces the Beta launch of its new document transcription feature

https://www.ancestry.com/c/ancestry-blog/ancestry-news/document-transcription-feature

Snagit Screen Capture

https://www.techsmith.com/snagit

Windows Snipping Tool

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots-00246869-1843-655f-f220-97299b865f6b

Screenshots or screen recordings on Mac

https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/mac-help/mh26782/mac

Dan Maloney's AI Handwritten Text Recognition Tool

https://www.genea.ca/htr-tool/

Anthropic: Build and share AI-powered apps with Claude

https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-powered-artifacts

Anthropic now lets you make apps right from its Claude AI chatbot

https://www.theverge.com/news/693342/anthropic-claude-ai-apps-artifact

Grok 4 release livestream on Wednesday at 8pm PT

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1942325820170907915

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok launches into antisemitic rant amid updates

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/07/08/elon-musk-grok-ai-antisemitism/

Apple's Original AI announcement on June 10, 2024

https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2024/06/introducing-apple-intelligence-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac/

Apple's Integrates ChatGPT into iPhones

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iph00fd3c8c2/ios

Apple Weighs Using Anthropic or OpenAI to Power Siri in Major Reversal

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-30/apple-weighs-replacing-siri-s-ai-llms-with-anthropic-claude-or-openai-chatgpt

Google Resumes Rollout of AI-Based 'Ask Photos' Image Search

https://petapixel.com/2025/06/27/google-resumes-rollout-of-ai-based-ask-photos-image-search/

Google Product Manager says Ask Photos paused for quality issues

https://x.com/jamieasp/status/1929895255844745284

Ask Photos coming to more Google Photos users

https://blog.google/products/photos/updates-ask-photos-search/

Ask Photos' Original Announcement May 14, 2024

https://petapixel.com/2024/05/14/gemini-powered-ask-photos-brings-an-ai-assistant-to-google-photos/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Transcription, FamilySearch, Ancestry, Document Analysis, Handwritten Text Recognition, Full-Text Search, Screen Capture Tools, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, OCR Technology, Dan Maloney, Genealogy Assistant, API Keys, Claude AI, Anthropic, Google Photos, Apple Intelligence, Grok AI, David Ouimette, Truth Sets, Research Tools

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Perplexity's groundbreaking Comet browser, which brings AI directly to web pages and can autonomously navigate sites to collect genealogical data.

They examine Grok 4's impressive benchmark performance while discussing its limitations for genealogical research and safety concerns.

This week's Tip of the Week introduces "context engineering" - the art of providing maximum information to AI tools through examples, documents, and prior conversations for superior results.

In RapidFire, they cover Google's Veo 3 photo-to-video tool, Silicon Valley's dramatic Windsurf acquisition battle, and OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent that can control computers autonomously.

In the News:

07:47 Perplexity's Comet Browser: AI-Enhanced Research and Web Surfing

20:32 Grok 4 Released: Benchmark Success, Real-World Challenges

Tip of the Week:

27:53 Context Engineering: Maximizing AI Results with Rich Information

RapidFire:

36:02  Google Veo 3: Transform Photos into Videos

44:19 Windsurf Acquisition Drama: AI Consolidation Begins

53:58 ChatGPT Agent: Autonomous Computer Control Arrives

Official Comet Launch Announcement

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-comet

Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/perplexity-launches-comet-an-ai-powered-web-browser/

Every: Vibe Check: Grok 4 Aced Its Exams. The Real World Is a Different Story

https://every.to/vibe-check/vibe-check-grok-4-aced-its-exams-the-real-world-is-a-different-story

LM Arena Leaderboard

https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard

TechCrunch: Google adds image-to-video generation capability to Veo 3

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/10/google-adds-image-to-video-generation-capability-to-veo-3/

Windsurf's CEO goes to Google; OpenAI's acquisition falls apart

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/11/windsurfs-ceo-goes-to-google-openais-acquisition-falls-apart/

Every: Vibe Check: OpenAI Enters the Browser Wars With ChatGPT Agent

https://every.to/vibe-check/vibe-check-openai-enters-the-browser-wars-with-chatgpt-agent

TechCrunch: AWS is launching an AI agent marketplace next week with Anthropic as a partner

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/10/aws-is-launching-an-ai-agent-marketplace-next-week-with-anthropic-as-a-partner/

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little deliver a special same-day episode covering the long-awaited release of ChatGPT-5, which launched today, August 7, 2025.

They explore the most significant improvements in the upgrade for genealogists, including automated model selection that eliminates confusing settings for beginners, enhanced reasoning capabilities that reduce hallucinations by 45%, and big increase in the amount of information or documents that can be processed at once.

Mark demonstrates ChatGPT-5's improved image analysis with cabinet card photos, revealing how the model now provides research suggestions automatically.

This extra podcast also announces the launch of the Family History AI Show Academy, with Mark and Steve's first five-week course... "Introduction to Family History AI" beginning October 14th.

Introduction to Family History AI with Mark Thompson and Steve Little

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow/

Automated Model Selection

Enhanced Reasoning

Larger Context Window

Improved Vision Analysis

Better Document Grounding

Introduction to Family History AI

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow/

GPT-5 is here

https://openai.com/gpt-5/

Introducing GPT-5

https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5/

OpenAI launches new GPT-5 model for all ChatGPT users

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/07/openai-launches-gpt-5-model-for-all-chatgpt-users.html

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, OpenAI, ChatGPT-5, AI Tools, Emergency Podcast, Model Selection, Reasoning Models, Context Window, Image Analysis, Cabinet Cards, Handwritten Text Recognition, Document Processing, Hallucination Reduction, AI Education, Family History AI Show Academy, Research Automation, Vision Analysis, Agentic AI, Professional Genealogy

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's groundbreaking ChatGPT Agent, demonstrating how this autonomous tool can research, analyze, and perform complex tasks on your behalf.

Next, they address important security concerns to consider in the new world of AI agents, introducing practical guidelines for protecting sensitive family data and avoiding prompt injection attacks.

This week's Tip of the Week provides a back-to-basics guide on what AI is and its four core strengths: summarization, extraction, generation, and translation.

In RapidFire, they discuss OpenAI's rumored office suite, Microsoft and Google's own efforts to integrate AI into their office suites, and recently announced AI infrastructure investments, including; Meta's Manhattan-sized data center and President Trump's new AI Action Plan.

The hosts also announce their new Family History AI Show Academy, a five-week course beginning in October of 2025. See https://tixoom.app/fhaishow/ for more details.

In the News:

05:20 ChatGPT Agent: Autonomous Research Assistant for Genealogists

22:49 Safe and Secure in the Age of AI

Tip of the Week:

36:20 What is AI and What is it Good For? Back to Basics

RapidFire:

50:57 OpenAI's Office Suite Rumors

53:56 Microsoft and Google Bring AI to Their Office Suites

60:17 Big AI Infrastructure: Manhattan-Sized Data Centers

Introduction to Family History AI

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow/

Do agents work in the browser?

https://www.bensbites.com/p/do-agents-work-in-the-browser

Introducing ChatGPT agent: bridging research and action

https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-agent/

OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer and do tasks for you

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/709158/openai-new-release-chatgpt-agent-operator-deep-research

OpenAI's New ChatGPT Agent Tries to Do It All

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-chatgpt-agent-launch/

Agent demo post

https://x.com/rowancheung/status/1945896543263080736

OpenAI Quietly Designed a Rival to Google Workspace, Microsoft Office

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-quietly-designed-rival-google-workspace-microsoft-office

OpenAI Is Quietly Creating Tools to Take on Microsoft Office and Google Workspace

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/MSFT/pressreleases/33074368/openai-is-quietly-creating-tools-to-take-on-microsoft-office-and-google-workspace-googl/

What's new in Microsoft 365 Copilot?

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-365-copilot--june-2025/4427592

Google Workspace enables the future of AI-powered work for every business

https://workspace.google.com/blog/product-announcements/empowering-businesses-with-AI

Google Workspace Review: Will it Serve My Needs?

https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/blog/google-workspace-review/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Agents, ChatGPT Agent, OpenAI, Computer Use, AI Security, Prompt Injection, Database Analysis, RootsMagic, Cemetery Records, AI Office Suite, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Workspace, Data Centers, AI Infrastructure, Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, Context Windows, AI Education, Family History AI Show Academy, AI Reasoning Models, Autonomous Research, AI Ethics

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the groundbreaking release of ChatGPT-5, which arrived after over a year of anticipation. They discuss how this new model transforms the AI landscape with better reasoning, larger context windows, and dramatically reduced hallucinations.

The hosts examine OpenAI's new Study and Learn Mode, which acts as a personal tutor rather than just providing answers, making it ideal for genealogists who want to deepen their understanding of their favourite topic.

This week's Tip of the Week cautions beginners about challenging AI tasks like handwritten transcriptions and structured files, recommending they master the basics first.

In RapidFire, they cover OpenAI's first open-source release since 2019, NotebookLM's video capabilities, and impressive AI company earnings reports.

In the News:

00:55 ChatGPT-5 Has Arrived: Improved Features (mostly) for Genealogists

16:29 OpenAI's Study and Learn Mode: Your Personal Genealogy Tutor

23:40 Claude Releases Opus 4.1: Enhanced Reasoning and Writing

Tip of the Week:

29:25 AI Tasks for Beginners to Be Cautious Of

RapidFire:

40:16 OpenAI Releases First Open Source Model Since 2019

48:33 NotebookLM Upgrade Adds Video Support

53:34 AI Companies Report Record Earnings

Introduction to Family History AI

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow/

OpenAI GPT-5 Model Card

https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-system-card/

Introducing study mode

https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-study-mode/

ChatGPT Study Mode - FAQ

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11780217-chatgpt-study-mode-faq

Claude Opus 4.1

https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-1

OpenAI announces two "gpt-oss" open AI models

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/openai-releases-its-first-open-source-models-since-2019/

Google's NotebookLM rolls out Video Overviews

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/29/googles-notebooklm-rolls-out-video-overviews/

Tech bubble going pop: AI pays the price for inflated expectations

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/07/the-guardian-view-on-a-tech-bubble-going-pop-ai-pays-the-price-for-inflated-expectations

Is The AI Bubble About To Burst?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/08/07/is-the-ai-bubble-about-to-burst/

Google loses appeal in antitrust battle with Fortnite maker

https://masslawyersweekly.com/2025/08/06/google-play-monopoly-verdict-epic-games-win/

Department of Justice Prevails in Landmark Antitrust Case Against Google

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-prevails-landmark-antitrust-case-against-google

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Genealogy, Family History, OpenAI, ChatGPT-5, Claude, Large Language Models, AI Learning Tools, Study Mode, Open Source AI, NotebookLM, Video Overviews, AI Reasoning, Context Windows, Hallucination Reduction, GEDCOM Files, Handwritten Transcription, Document Analysis, AI Earnings, Google Antitrust, Apache License, Local AI Processing, Privacy, AI Education, Tutoring Systems, Coding Capabilities, Multilingual Processing, AI Development, Family History Research, Genealogists, AI Tools, Machine Learning

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little return from summer break to discuss the mixed reception of ChatGPT 5 and how OpenAI responded to user feedback.

They explore Google's game-changing Nano Banana (Gemini Flash Image) model that revolutionizes selective image editing, reigniting debates about AI photo restoration in genealogy.

This week's Tip of the Week emphasizes not letting perfect be the enemy of the good, especially when it comes to AI-powered citation. Mark shares his experience with 100 citations as part of the WikiTree Challenge.

In RapidFire, they cover Apple's possible Gemini partnership, new AI study modes for back-to-school season, Anthropic's copyright settlement, and controversial changes to its privacy policy. They close with escalating skirmishes in the escalating AI browser wars.

In the News:

05:14 ChatGPT 5 Launch Aftermath: Mixed Reception and Quick Fixes

17:15 Nano Banana: Google's Game-Changing Image Editing Model

Tip of the Week:

32:38 Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good: Building Citation Prompts

RapidFire:

43:27 Apple Explores Google Gemini Partnership for Siri

47:16 Back to School: AI Study Modes from ChatGPT and Gemini

53:00 Anthropic Settles Copyright Lawsuit with Authors

56:29 Anthropic Reverses Privacy Stance on Training Data

60:55 AI Browser Wars: Anthropic and Google Enter the Fray

Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academy

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Mass Intelligence by Ethan Mollick

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/mass-intelligence

Create and edit images with Gemini

https://deepmind.google/models/gemini/image/

Google take 'giant leap' with launch of 'Nano Banana'

https://www.uniladtech.com/news/ai/google-giant-leap-nano-banana-launch-image-editing-305898-20250828

Apple Explores Using Google Gemini AI to Power Revamped Siri

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-22/apple-explores-using-google-gemini-ai-to-power-revamped-siri

Guided Learning in Gemini: From answers to understanding

https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/guided-learning/

Introducing study mode

https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-study-mode/

Anthropic Settles Copyright Lawsuit

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/anthropics-surprise-settlement-adds-new-wrinkle-ai-copyright-war-2025-08-27/

Anthropic Updates Data Policy

https://www.anthropic.com/news/updates-to-our-consumer-terms

New Opt-Out Policy Reverses Stance on Using Consumer Data for AI Training

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/28/anthropic-users-face-a-new-choice-opt-out-or-share-your-data-for-ai-training/

Anthropic launches a Claude AI agent that lives in Chrome

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/26/anthropic-launches-a-claude-ai-agent-that-lives-in-chrome/

Google is launching a Gemini integration in Chrome

https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/google-is-launching-a-gemini-integration-in-chrome/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Technology, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Image Editing, Nano Banana, AI Photography, Citation Management, WikiTree, AI Study Modes, Copyright Law, Privacy Policy, Browser Extensions, AI Training Data, Photo Restoration, Apple Siri, Educational AI, Model Selection, AI Ethics, Chrome Integration

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little review the biggest AI breakthroughs of 2025 so far, from DeepSeek's open-source revolution to GPT-5's unified reasoning model.

Mark and Steve also celebrate FamilySearch's Full-Text Search moving from experimental labs to the main website, covering 1.4 billion records across 4,300 collections plus new summarization and filtering features.

This week's Tip of the Week provides practical guidance on using Nano Banana for photo restoration, explaining when it works brilliantly and when to exercise caution with damaged images.

In RapidFire, they examine competing reports on AI's environmental impact, explore Google's new AI Mode in mobile apps, and discuss the landmark antitrust ruling that forces Google to share search data with competitors.

In the News:

03:44 2025 Mid-Year Review: AI's Explosive Growth in Genealogy

29:08 FamilySearch Full Text Search Is Now Live

37:57 AI Success Stories in the Wild: Real Genealogists, Real Results

Tip of the Week:

47:53 Best Uses for Nano Banana (Gemini Nano): Small Model, Big Impact

RapidFire:

59:54 AI's Environmental Debate: Energy Costs vs. Benefits

1:03:50 Google AI in Mobile Apps: What It Means for Genealogists

1:11:07 Google Antitrust Ruling Issued: Impact on AI Development

Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academy

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Full-Text Search (must be logged in to use this link)

https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/

Full-Text Search Leaves FamilySearch Labs

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/full-text-search-leaves-familysearch-labs

How do I use FullText Search?

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-fulltext-search

Responsible AI Photo Restoration

https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/

WaPo AI Energy Usage, Sept 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/18/energy-ai-use-electricity-water-data-centers/

Google: How much energy does Google's AI use? We did the math

https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/measuring-the-environmental-impact-of-ai-inference/

Judge orders Google to share search data as part of antitrust ruling --- but Google gets to keep Chrome

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/search-engines/judge-orders-google-to-share-search-data-as-part-of-antitrust-ruling-but-google-gets-to-keep-chrome?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, DeepSeek R1, AI Reasoning, Open Source AI, Free AI Tools, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, OpenAI Operator, AI Agents, Beginner AI Guide, Research Tools, Document Analysis, AI Democratization, Context Windows, Deep Research, AI Writing, Browser Automation, Genealogy Research, AI Accessibility, Reasoning Models, AI Education

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how new AI browsers are changing how genealogists research. They compare OpenAI's Atlas, Microsoft Edge, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity's Comet, explaining which features help family historians most.

The hosts share lessons from the early AOL era that can be applied to the AI era. They also explore Anthropic's new Haiku 4.5, a very fast model that works great for simple tasks like transcription and summarization.

Don’t miss this week's Tip of the Week, where Steve shows how AI can help you write better AI prompts. He uses an example for extracting information from draft cards to show how useful this approach can be.

In RapidFire, they cover new AI features in spreadsheets, major improvements in transcribing old handwriting, and how Microsoft Copilot's new agent store tries to help you with common tasks.

In the News:

01:20 Browser Wars Heat Up: OpenAI Atlas, Edge, and Gemini Compete

16:50 What AI Can Learn from AOL: Avoiding Walled Garden Mistakes

29:10 Anthropic's Haiku 4.5: When Smaller Models Beat Bigger Ones

Tip of the Week:

39:50 Using AI to Write Better Prompts for Historical Documents

RapidFire:

47:19 AI Makes Spreadsheets Easier: Google Sheets vs Excel

54:35 Reading Old Handwriting Gets Better: DeepSeek and Google Updates

01:05:15 Microsoft Copilot Adds Writing and Prompt Coaches

Genealogy and AI Facebook to hit 20k users!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai

An In-Depth Look at OpenAI's AI Browser

https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/chatgpt-atlas-openai-browser

DeepSeek AI created DeepSeek-OCR

 https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/10/deepseek-ocr/

Nearly perfect on handwriting recognition

https://generativehistory.substack.com/p/has-google-quietly-solved-two-of

Global AI Browser Market Size

https://market.us/report/ai-browser-market/

Benchmarking Claude Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5 on 400 Real PRs

https://www.qodo.ai/blog/thinking-vs-thinking-benchmarking-claude-haiku-4-5-and-sonnet-4-5-on-400-real-prs/

Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 4.5 Brings Enterprise-Grade Speed and Savings to Customer-Facing AI

https://www.cxtoday.com/contact-center/anthropics-claude-haiku-4-5-brings-enterprise-grade-speed-and-savings-to-customer-facing-ai/

Top 10 AI Spreadsheet Tools

https://www.knack.com/blog/top-ai-spreadsheet-tools/

Prompt Coach: Prebuilt agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

https://rishonapowerplatform.com/2025/03/11/prompt-coach-prebuilt-agent-for-microsoft-365-copilot-chat/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, AI Browsers, OpenAI Atlas, Google Gemini, Microsoft Edge, Perplexity Comet, Anthropic Haiku, Meta-Prompting, Spreadsheet AI, OCR Technology, Handwritten Text, DeepSeek, Microsoft Copilot, AI Agents, Document Extraction, Family History, Browser Wars, AI Models

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how Google's Nano Banana photo restoration tool will revolutionize image restoration by integrating with Adobe Photoshop. This move will greatly reduce unintended changes to historical photos when editing them with AI.

Next, they unpack OpenAI’s move to make ChatGPT Projects available to free-tier users, making research organization more accessible for genealogists.

This week's Tip of the Week provides essential guidance on the responsible use AI when editing historical photos using AI tools like Nano Banana, ensuring transparency and trust in historical photographs.

In RapidFire, they cover OpenAI's new Sora 2 AI-video social media platform, Claude's new ability to create and edit Microsoft Office files, memory features in Claude Projects, advancements in local language models, and how OpenAI's massive infrastructure deals are changing the AI landscape.

In the News:

02:43 Adobe improves historical photo restoration by adding Nano Banana to Photoshop

09:34 ChatGPT Projects are Now Free

Tip of the Week:

13:36 Citations for AI-Restored Images Build Trust in AI-Modified Photos

RapidFire:

21:24 Sora 2 Goes Social

27:23 Claude Adds Microsoft Office Creation and Editing

34:26 Memory Features Come to Claude Projects

38:32 Apple and Amazon both create Local Language Model tools

44:47 OpenAI's Big Data Centre Deal with Oracle

OpenAI announces free access to ChatGPT Projects

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes

Engadget: OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Projects to Free Users

https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-rolls-out-chatgpt-projects-to-free-users-215027802.html

Forbes: OpenAI Makes ChatGPT Projects Free

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2025/09/14/small-business-technology-roundup-microsoft-copilot-does-not-improve-productivity-and-openai-makes-chatgpt-project-free/

Responsible AI Photo Restoration

https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/

Claude now has memory, but only for certain users

https://mashable.com/article/anthropic-claude-ai-now-has-memory-for-some-users

New Apple Intelligence features are available today

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/new-apple-intelligence-features-are-available-today/

Introducing Amazon Lens Live

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/search-image-amazon-lens-live-shopping-rufus

Amazon Lens Live Can Scan and Pull Up Matches

https://www.pcmag.com/news/spot-an-item-you-wish-to-buy-amazon-lens-live-can-scan-and-pull-up-matches

A Joint Statement from OpenAI and Microsoft About Their Changing Partnership

https://openai.com/index/joint-statement-from-openai-and-microsoft/

The Verge: OpenAI and Oracle Pen $300 Billion Compute Deal

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/776170/oracle-openai-300-billion-contract-project-stargate

Reuters: OpenAI and Oracle Sign $300 Billion Computing Deal

https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-oracle-sign-300-billion-computing-deal-wsj-reports-2025-09-10/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Photo Restoration, AI Tools, OpenAI, Google, Adobe Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects, Nano Banana, Image Editing, AI Citations, Sora 2, Video Generation, Claude, Microsoft Office, Apple Intelligence, Amazon Lens, Oracle, Cloud Computing, Local Language Models, AI Infrastructure, Responsible AI, Historical Photos

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine Google's groundbreaking Gemini 3 release, which delivers state-of-the-art multimodal reasoning and sets a new benchmark for AI capabilities. They also explore ChatGPT's upgrade to version 5.1 with improved instruction following and better handling of longer conversation.

The hosts discuss Canva's new Creative Operating System, which now generates AI-powered designs directly within the platform.

This week's Tip of the Week demonstrates how Gemini 3 can use the context you provide it to greatly improve the accuracy of your hand written transcription.

In RapidFire, they cover NotebookLM's new deep research mode, Nano Banana's integration into Photoshop, Anthropic's privacy policy changes regarding training data, and how Claude's new usage monitoring feature can reduce your stress level.

In the News:

04:17 Google Gemini 3’s Multimodal AI Reaches New Heights

13:47 ChatGPT 5.1 upgrade is now better at following your Instructions

22:39 Canva Creative Operating System: AI-Powered Design Generation

Tip of the Week:

26:21 Adding Reasoning to Your Transcriptions Improves Accuracy

RapidFire:

36:40 NotebookLM Becomes a Fully Featured Research Tool

43:40 Nano Banana is Now Available in Photoshop

47:20 Anthropic Announces Claude Chats Will Be Used for Training Data

54:13 View Your Claude Usage in Settings

Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academy

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Google Gemini 3

Introducing Gemini 3: A New Era of Intelligence

https://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3/

ChatGPT 5.1

A smarter, more conversational

https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-1/

GPT-5.1 New Features Explained

https://scalevise.com/resources/gpt-5-1-new-features/

Canva Creative Operating System

Introducing Canva's Creative Operating System

https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/creative-operating-system/

NotebookLM Deep Research

NotebookLM adds Deep Research and support for more source types

https://blog.google/technology/google-labs/notebooklm-deep-research-file-types/

Nano Banana in Photoshop

Create with unlimited generations using Google Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro) in Adobe Firefly

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/11/20/google-gemini-3-nano-banana-pro-firefly-photoshop

Anthropic Privacy Policy Update

Anthropic Will Use Claude Chats for Training Data: How to Opt Out

https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-using-claude-chats-for-training-how-to-opt-out/

Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy

https://www.anthropic.com/news/updates-to-our-consumer-terms

Claude Usage Monitoring

Usage Limit Best Practices

https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Canva, NotebookLM, Nano Banana, Anthropic Claude, Photo Restoration

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present a special year-end episode, comparing their 2025 AI predictions to what actually unfolded in 2025. This episode is a great review of the top AI advancements in 2025!

The hosts examine which predictions hit the mark, including the agentic AI hype cycle, plummeting AI costs driven by DeepSeek, and the dethroning of OpenAI as the top AI model. They also explore predictions that proved partially accurate, such as the shift to local language models and the adoption of AI in social media.

Mark and Steve have a good laugh over their biggest misses, including breakthroughs in text-in-image generation, image restoration, and vibe coding. They highlight how reasoning models were the transformative force behind nearly every major AI advancement in 2025.

The episode closes with a preview of next week's 2026 predictions episode.

03:30 Agents, Agents, Everywhere: Deep Research and Agentic Browsers

09:49 Cost of AI Drops Like a Rock: DeepSeek Disrupts the Market

12:26 OpenAI Dethroned: Gemini and Anthropic Rise

18:46 Local Language Models

23:54 AI Invades Social Media

28:24 AI-Enhanced Writing: From Grammar Checking to Ghost Writers

32:30 Family Tree Diagrams: Possible But Not Practical

36:03 Handwriting Recognition: Reasoning Improves Results

38:01 Reasoning Models: 2025’s Most Important Advancement

41:31 Text in Images: A Solved Problem

45:05 Image Restoration: Breakthroughs and Responsibilities

51:02 Vibe Coding: Speaking Software Into Being

Register for a Class with the Family History AI Show Academy

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Agentic AI

Agentic AI In-Depth Report 2025

https://hblabgroup.com/agentic-ai-in-depth-report/

Perplexity's New AI-First Browser Kicks Off Agentic Applications

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenwolfepereira/2025/07/11/perplexitys-new-ai-first-browser-is-kicking-off-agentic-applications/

Cost of AI

State of AI in 10 Charts

https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-index-2025-state-of-ai-in-10-charts

Free AI Tools 2025

https://thehumanprompts.com/free-ai-tools-2025-platforms/

OpenAI Dethroned

Geoffrey Hinton says Google is 'beginning to overtake' OpenAI

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-google-overtaking-openai-2025-12

Local AI Hardware

Assessing the On-Device Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunity

https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/assessing-the-on-device-ai-opportunity.pdf

Family Tree Diagrams

Explore how powerful AI image editing can support advanced creative workflows.

https://deepmind.google/models/gemini-image/pro/

Text in Images

Nano Banana Pro Review: Is Google's AI Image Generator Too Good?

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-nano-banana-pro-ai-image-generator-review/

Vibe Coding

No code, big dreams

https://www.businessinsider.com/non-technical-people-vibecoding-lessons-ai-apps-2025-9

Image Restoration

Responsible AI Photo Restoration

https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/

Protecting Trust in Historical Images

https://craigen.org/protecting-trust-in-historical-images/

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Predictions, Reasoning Models, DeepSeek, Gemini, Image Restoration, Vibe Coding, Agentic AI

In the last episode of 2025, Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present their predictions for how artificial intelligence will transform genealogy research in 2026. This special episode examines fourteen key trends shaping the future of family history AI.

Mark and Steve predict that AI tools will move from enthusiast circles into mainstream genealogy practice, with AI-enhanced apps like NotebookLM becoming more important than the underlying language models that people have focused on for the past three years.

They explore how handwritten text recognition will become more accurate and accessible, and that genealogy companies will cautiously integrate new AI features, first focusing on helping us with our research.

02:33 Family History AI Goes Mainstream: From Enthusiasts to Everyday Users

04:13 Apps Over Models: Why Platform Features Matter More Than LLMs

06:17 Reusable Prompting Tools: GPTs, Projects, and Gems Boost Efficiency

08:02 AI-Enhanced Research Gains Acceptance Among Serious Genealogists

09:53 Handwritten Text Recognition Gets Better, Easier, and Cheaper

12:18 Genealogy Companies Take Cautious Approach to Generative AI

17:07 AI-Enhanced Browsers Become Standard, Agentic Features Raise Concerns

24:25 Voice Interfaces to AI Remain Niche in 2026

27:36 LLM Vendors Push File and Email Integration for Stickiness

31:46 Productivity Tools Embed LLMs Everywhere

35:56 The AI Horse Race: Three Leaders Emerge

41:15 AI Licensing Deals Change Internet Access Patterns

44:34 The AI Bubble Conversation is important to society, but less so to Genealogists

The Family History AI Show Academy

https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Family History AI Goes Mainstream

What Can AI Do for Your Genealogical Research? – James Tanner (Nov 2025) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmVKy1pUPE

FamilySearch Shares Plans for 2025 (Includes AI integration details) https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/familysearch-shares-plans-for-2025

Reusable Prompting Tools

Custom GPTs vs. Gemini Gems: Who Wins? - Learn Prompting (Aug 2025) https://learnprompting.org/blog/custom-gpts-vs-gemini-gems

AI-Enhanced Research

Unlocking Family Histories: How AI Is Breathing New Life into Handwritten Records (South Central APG)

https://southcentralapg.org/2025/08/16/unlocking-family-histories-how-ai-is-breathing-new-life-into-handwritten-records/

Handwritten Text Recognition

A new Google model is nearly perfect on automated handwriting recognition - Hacker News https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45887262

Cautious AI from Genealogy Companies

AI-Enhanced Browsers

Compliance alert: Do not use AI browsers

https://vinciworks.com/blog/compliance-alert-do-not-use-ai-browsers/

Content Integration with Chatbots

Gemini vs Copilot: A Quick Comparison Guide (2025) - Tactiq

https://tactiq.io/learn/gemini-vs-copilot

AI in Office Productivity Tools

Microsoft Copilot in 2025: What's Changed & What's Next | Aldridge

https://aldridge.com/microsoft-copilot-in-2025-whats-changed-whats-next/

Monthly Round Up: New Features in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Dec 2025)

https://dynamicscommunities.com/ug/copilot-ug/monthly-round-up-new-features-in-microsoft-365-copilot/

The AI Horse Race

The Best AI in October 2025? We Compared ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini & Others - FelloAI

https://felloai.com/the-best-ai-in-october-2025-we-compared-chatgpt-claude-grok-gemini-others/

The 2025 AI Coding Models: Comprehensive Guide to the Top 5 Contenders - CodeGPT

https://www.codegpt.co/blog/ai-coding-models-2025-comprehensive-guide

AI Licensing Deals

Content Licensing Agreements Will Concentrate Markets Without Standardized Access - ProMarket

(Nov 2025) https://www.promarket.org/2025/11/20/content-licensing-agreements-will-concentrate-markets-without-standardized-access/

The False Hope of Content Licensing at Internet Scale - ProMarket

https://www.promarket.org/2025/11/19/the-false-hope-of-content-licensing-at-internet-scale/

The AI Bubble Conversation

The AI boom will turn to bust in 2026

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai-boom-will-turn-to-bust-next-year-says-this-forecaster-who-offers-his-trade-of-the-year-9c2a2332

OUTLOOK 2026 Promise and Pressure - J.P. Morgan (Discusses AI market stability vs bubble risks)

https://www.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpmorgan/documents/wealth-management/outlook-2026.pdf

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Predictions, NotebookLM, HTR, AI Browsers, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the major AI model upgrades released over the winter, comparing Anthropic's Opus 4.6, OpenAI's GPT 5.4, and Google's Gemini 3.1 Pro and their benefits for genealogists.

In a special interview recorded at RootsTech 2026, they sit down with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer of Family Locket to explore how the Research Like a Pro methodology integrates with AI tools for transcription, locality research, and DNA analysis.

In RapidFire, they cover FamilySearch's new Simple Search interface for Full-Text Search, Ancestry's AI Stories feature for understanding historical records, and the escalating conflict between Anthropic and the U.S. federal government over the use of AI by the military.

In the News:

03:12 New AI Model Releases: Opus 4.6, GPT 5.4, and Gemini 3.1 Pro Transform Genealogy

Interview

19:40 Interview with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer: Research Like a Pro Meets AI

RapidFire:

44:05 FamilySearch Simple Search: Natural Language Meets Full-Text Search

48:24 Ancestry AI Stories: Understanding Historical Records with AI

53:00 Anthropic vs. U.S. Government: AI Ethics Battle Elevates Claude

New Models

Introducing GPT5.4

https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5-4/

Anthropic releases Opus 4.6

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/05/anthropic-releases-opus-4-6-with-new-agent-teams/

Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.6

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/17/anthropic-ai-claude-sonnet-4-6-default-free-pro.html

Gemini 3.1 Pro

https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-1-pro/

Interview with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer from Family Locket

About Diana Elder and Nicole Elder Dyer

https://familylocket.com/about-us/

Simple Search for Family Search Full Text Search

How do I use Fulltext Search?

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-fulltext-search

Ancestry AI Stories

Ancestry Brings Family History to Life with New AI-Powered Stories

https://www.ancestry.ca/corporate/blog/ancestry-brings-family-history-to-life-with-new-ai-powered-stori

Anthropic and the U.S. Government

Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic in battle over AI use

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn48jj3y8ezo

Anthropic CEO responds to Trump order, Pentagon clash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPTNHrq_4LU

Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Models, RootsTech, FamilySearch, Ancestry, Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini