“Man as Toolmaker” Is Taking on New Meaning at the Dawn of the AI Age

Kevin Borland introduced Linka, an AI assistant he trained. She writes code to improve features on his genealogy site, Borland Genetics, making it easier for users to share their family history with relatives who aren't members of the site.

About 14 months ago, I suggested genealogists would soon have a "flock of bots" assisting them. Borland Genetics is already making this a reality and even surpassing my expectations. Kevin Borland is creating at the cutting edge, orchestrating multiple AI assistants like a symphony conductor, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Yesterday, Kevin introduced Linka, … Continue reading “Man as Toolmaker” Is Taking on New Meaning at the Dawn of the AI Age →

Quick Update on AI “Reasoning” Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants

The AI-space has been ablaze with news about "reasoning" models since the release of DeepSeek's reasoning model "R1" (which grabbed attention for its: 1) strength; 2) non-US origins; 3) open-source availability; and 4) cheap access). Now, as OpenAI releases their next reasoning models - "o3-mini" and "o3-mini-high" - it's worth understanding what this "reasoning" buzz … Continue reading Quick Update on AI “Reasoning” Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants →

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 →

I Asked ChatGPT’s New “Reasoning” Model to Craft a Research Plan–Here’s What Happened:

Readers interested in this post may also want to know about: "Quick Update on AI 'Reasoning' Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants" (31 Jan 2025). On Thursday 5 December 2024, the creators of ChatGPT kicked-off their "Twelve Days of OpenAI" by releasing the full version of their "reasoning" model, named "o1." Teased and expected … Continue reading I Asked ChatGPT’s New “Reasoning” Model to Craft a Research Plan–Here’s What Happened: →

Top Ten AI Genealogy Breakthroughs of 2024

Hi Genealogy Friends and Generative AI Enthusiasts! At 2 PM ET, Wednesday 20 November 2024, I'll be hosting a free Legacy Family Tree Webinar. Discover new ways artificial intelligence assists genealogical research in 2024. From exciting full-text search to emerging voice interfaces, this year marked a significant shift in how we explore family history. We'll … Continue reading Top Ten AI Genealogy Breakthroughs of 2024 →

Paper-to-Podcast Prompt

In this post you'll find:● a PROMPT to generate a podcast script/transcript from any type of content● an example of a podcast script/transcript generated by this PROMPT using a prompt engineering resource as a source document, i.e., hear two hosts discuss prompt engineering in an easy, accessible style● a list of upcoming speaking events A … Continue reading Paper-to-Podcast Prompt →

Episode 8: Save Time by Summarizing, Meta’s Game-Changing AI Upgrade, FamilySearch’s Summarization Feature, Is the AI Bubble About to Burst?

Hello friends, Today, Mark and I released Episode 8 of The Family History AI Show podcast. A description of the show is below. But I wanted to take a quick moment to point out how we have structured the show as a way to highlight what we enjoy sharing with you. The show has three … Continue reading Episode 8: Save Time by Summarizing, Meta’s Game-Changing AI Upgrade, FamilySearch’s Summarization Feature, Is the AI Bubble About to Burst? →

Episode 6: Claude Projects vs Custom GPTs, Student FAQs, The Importance of Chatting with your Chatbot

In Episode #006 of The Family History AI Show podcast, 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 NGS's GRIP … Continue reading Episode 6: Claude Projects vs Custom GPTs, Student FAQs, The Importance of Chatting with your Chatbot →