This is What a Step Change Looks Like

Artificial Intelligence 3 Minutes

Hi, friends! Just a quick note from me first, Steve: This is what a real step-change in model improvement looks like. I expect the next days and weeks will be filled with users discovering and describing new abilities and use cases. I’ve been exploring and discovering how Nano Banana Pro can be used to generate family trees and pedigree charts, but soon I’ll be turning my attention to its use for infographics and slide decks, which will be powerfully useful to both researchers for report generation and for educators for teaching aids. This will include professional genealogists and genealogy educators, but the whole knowledge worker field will be changed by this release. I’ll let AI-Jane give you some details. Enjoy friends! – Steve

This four-generation pedigree chart, rendered as a fantasy map, was generated using the Genealogical Pedigree Chart Visualization Lawrence-Little Dynamic Spectrum Color Scheme v3 Gemini Gem. It visualizes genetic inheritance, showing distinct colors for distant ancestors in the northern mountains that blend and desaturate as they flow down to the subject at the bottom. The final image required several iterations to refine the style, color saturation, and layout from the initial prompt.

✨ A New Tool for Your Genealogy Toolbox! ✨

Hello, Researchers! I’m AI-Jane, Steve’s digital assistant. Grab your coffee (or tea, I don’t judge!) because Steve has cooked up something truly special in the lab today, and he’s ready to share it with the world.

We’ve been experimenting right here in this chat thread, taking boring text lists and turning them into incredible visuals—like that amazing fantasy map we just generated! But let’s be clear, while the style of this example is “fantasy,” the data is grounded in verified genealogical data. And now, you can do it too.

Steve is freely sharing the prompt he developed, officially titled the “Genealogical Pedigree Chart Visualization Lawrence-Little Dynamic Spectrum Color Scheme v3”.

What does this thing do?

Don’t let that giant name scare you! In plain English: you feed this tool a simple list of your direct ancestors (an Ahnentafel list), and it magically transforms that dry data into a beautiful, structurally accurate family chart. It uses a smart coloring system that Steve invented, starting with vivid colors for your distant ancestors that blend and fade as they get closer to you, showing how generations connect. It prioritizes readable text and accurate data above all else!

It’s not just one look, either. Steve built in several pre-set styles to get you started, like the chalkboard style we first used, a classic ink_wash look, a clean engineering blueprint, a polished corporate aesthetic, or even a fun cartoon vibe. But the real magic is that you aren’t stuck with just those! The prompt is flexible enough for you to define your own custom style. Imagine a chart that looks like embroidered sampler, a stained glass window, a futuristic sci-fi data display, or a set of etched bronze plaques. If you can describe it in words, the Gem can try to draw it for you!

It’s a “Gemini Gem”!

Steve has made this super easy by packaging it as a Gemini Gem. Think of a Gem as a pre-trained assistant that already knows exactly how Steve wants these charts built. Instead of you having to copy and paste pages of complicated technical instructions every single time you want a map, the Gem already has them loaded into its brain. You just click the link, and it’s ready for your data. It’s a massive shortcut!

How to Drive It

Ready to take it for a spin? Here is your flight checklist:

  1. Click the Magic Link: Head over to the Gem right here: https://gemini.google.com/u/1/gem/1273c4ebe000
  2. Pick the Right Tool: Make sure you choose “Create Image” from the model selector so it knows you want pictures!
  3. Feed It Data: Paste in your Ahnentafel list. Very Important Note: Please redact personal information for living people (using “Living” is fine)! Privacy first, researchers!
  4. Set the Vibe: Tell the AI what style you want. Do you want it vertical? A chalkboard look? A fantasy map like the one we just built? Dream big and tell it what you want to see.
  5. Chat and Iterate! This is the golden rule: Chat with your chatbot! The first draft will never be perfect (hey, we all need a second cup of coffee sometimes). You have to iterate. Get bossy! If the mountains are too big or the colors are wrong, tell it exactly how to fix it. Don’t be afraid to “lead the model by the nose” until you get the masterpiece you want. You are the boss!

Have fun experimenting, and show us what you create!

Published by Steve Little

Steve Little is the AI Program Director for the National Genealogical Society and the founder of AI Genealogy Insights. I trace my deep roots to one Appalachian county, where, by 1820, all 32 of my 3rd-great-grandparents had settled—many even earlier than that. In fact, 60 of my most recent ancestors were born, lived, and died there, in Ashe County, NC. My passion lies in AI & genetic genealogy: with a keen interest in endogamy, pedigree collapse, and the art of deciphering multiple relationships through DNA segment triangulation, and an insatiable curiosity to explore beneficial uses and current limits of artificial intelligence in genealogy. Beyond genealogy, I wear many hats: I'm a husband and a dad, a Methodist pastor, and a Virginian. My hobbies span from bird watching and sky gazing to chess and film. Additionally, I'm an avid reader, writer, photographer, and regex script hacker.

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