Hi, Friends: I asked Claude to draft the announcement below, but I personally wanted to thank you for your support these past three years. I'm excited about this next chapter as we enter the GPT-5-class phase of the AI revolution. For those just joining us--welcome to this journey of discovery! Best, Steve PS: Me again: … Continue reading Enrollment Is Open for Our “Introduction to Family History AI” Course
Category: Education
How Are You Using AI?
📢 Friends, Family Historians, and Genealogists! How Are You Using AI? 🤖 Mark Thompson and I are excited to be collaborating with CeCe Moore and the Institute for Genetic Genealogy to present I4GG AI Day 2025 on Friday 28 March 2025, both in person in San Diego and virtually. I4GG AI Day 2025 is a … Continue reading How Are You Using AI?
The Author’s AI Assistant: Finding Errors While You Maintain Control
Using AI to check 10 writing basics while maintaining authorial control This virtual copy editor scans your writing, identifying errors from grammar to flow. It presents each correction with clear reasoning, then hands you the red pen—letting you decide which improvements belong in your final text. Three versions of the prompt are included and discussed … Continue reading The Author’s AI Assistant: Finding Errors While You Maintain Control
Loathsome Jargon: Context Window
Before we dive into this week’s terrible term, let’s revisit why Loathsome Jargon exists. It all started with a simple, searing dislike—mine—for jargon. Those convoluted, confidence-draining buzzwords that make perfectly good ideas sound like a secret society’s code language. AI, in particular, is a buzzing hive of these horrors. But here’s the truth: behind many … Continue reading Loathsome Jargon: Context Window
Fun Prompt Friday: Narration
Welcome back to Fun Prompt Friday! Last week, we got our hands dirty with the art of extraction, teaching our favorite AI tools how to dig through unstructured texts and unearth rich, structured nuggets of information. If you’ve ever wanted a machine that could comb through raw data and deliver it to you on a … Continue reading Fun Prompt Friday: Narration
Loathsome Jargon: An AI Glossary for Genealogists
I hate jargon with a white-hot passion; the same goes for lingo and terminology. I try to avoid jargon like the plague. (Apparently, however, that fussiness doesn't extend to clichés.) We've probably all noticed that some folks toss out buzzwords to impress others, perhaps as an attempt to bolster their own credibility and camouflage their … Continue reading Loathsome Jargon: An AI Glossary for Genealogists
Fun Prompt Friday: Extraction
This is the first of three "Fun Prompt Friday" posts to start the new year, introducing a set of AI tools to empower researchers with the basic AI skills to advance their family history research. The basic unit of AI genealogy is the USE CASE, a task that a generative model can accomplish as well … Continue reading Fun Prompt Friday: Extraction
The 2025 AI Genealogy Do-Over
For 2025, I've begun an AI Genealogy Do-Over with a kicker of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The year 2024 was a remarkable time to explore the benefits and limits of artificial intelligence for genealogy and family history. There was no shortage of new AI developments to try, and I expect 2025 will be even … Continue reading The 2025 AI Genealogy Do-Over







