Genealogical research to preserve family history is arduous and time-intensive. It also requires keen detective work, historical contextual knowledge, and organization of historical documents.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have transformed this work for family historians; however, while the technology has been widely adopted, AI tools are not foolproof. They make mistakes. This fallibility calls for thorough fact-checking and authentication of data with multiple sources. Thus, the human hand is still a critical component of the process.
Here’s a roundup of AI genealogy tools with tips on how to use them to enhance research, craft storytelling, and preserve family history.
What Genealogy AI Tools Can and Can’t Do
Historians use AI genealogy tools to scour the web and extract information like names, dates, places, and relationships. AI tools do this faster than you or I can make a cup of tea. However, AI tools are not foolproof. They make mistakes, and thorough fact-checking and authentication of data means that the human hand is still indispensable.
One of the biggest problems with AI-assisted genealogy is that the tools have a tendency to add information to try to fill in the gaps, and that information can be inaccurate.
Adryn Miller Sumner is an investigative journalist and historian. She is also a Mayflower descendant and an officer in many different lineage societies. She is also the founder of Genealogy Social Club.
According to Adryn, “the pros of AI are that it helps deal with a lot of tedious things. On the other hand, it’s not accurate a lot of times. So, if you’re using Grok, GPT, or any similar platform for history research, they get a lot of things wrong. You have to double and triple check with actual resources that are, I would say, a little bit more ‘elevated’.”
By elevated, Adrynn means primary sources. Proving lineage and historical stories requires thorough fact-checking and verification with reliable sources.
Here’s a look at some of the more well-known AI-assisted genealogy tools that family historians can use.
Broad-Range AI Genealogy Tools
AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok are popular AI among genealogists. Adryn told us that AI can automate tedious tasks and uncover hidden historical and relational connections, but genealogists are aware of their shortcomings when it comes to accuracy.
She said, “AI uncovers a lot of hidden connections that you may not have found otherwise. Obviously, that’s good, but be sure to check those, because I’ve found they’ve been incorrect multiple times.”
Adrienne emphasized that while AI for family historians can be a powerful tool, it was not expected to replace human researchers but rather to enhance their work.
Jessica Allen is a historian and writer based in Ontario, Canada. She chairs the history committee of the Board of Directors at the Orillia Museum of Art & History, and is the creator of Simcoe Curator, a platform dedicated to exploring how communities remember and represent their past.
Jessica uses ChatGPT to organize and analyze historical data.
“When working with large census files or property abstracts, I can paste entire text sets to quickly isolate one individual (like finding the John Smith born in 1880 among a hundred names).”
ChatGPT performs other tasks too. Not everyone enjoys writing, and genealogy tools help with creating compelling storylines.
Adryn said. “I’m a writer also, so I enjoy the writing part, but a lot of people don’t. It’s a terrifying task to them. AI helps write and create a cool story to go along with the facts and history.”
Image Restoration Tools
Significant improvements in journalism and storytelling are the result of AI-assisted digital archiving and photo restoration. Image restoration tools can take damaged, creased, and scratched photos and rework the image. To do so, however, a tool may fill in the gaps that are missing, and what is added is AI-generated.
For example, AI might recreate an eye that was covered by a tear or add colorizations.
Adryn noted,
“It’s incredible what HTR (Handwritten Text Recognition) can do with old photos. It can recolorize and restore text and images. You can see things that you couldn’t see before. Recolorizing them brings them back to life, it’s unreal. It really is incredible.”
Sometimes, however, AI enhancements can be off putting.
According to Adryn, “It’s crazy what AI can do now, especially when you’re wanting to create family histories and make it visual. AI can create a documentary for you around your family story. I find AI imagery a bit creepy personally, but it’s incredible what you can do now.”
Family Tree AI Platforms and DNA Testing
DNA testing platforms trace ancestry and build family trees. However, Adryn expressed concerns about DNA testing websites like Myheritage and 23andMe, preferring the more rigorous approach of lineage organizations.
Lineage societies like the General Society of Mayflower Descendents conduct comprehensive DNA analysis for specific lineage verification. As an investigative journalist and historian, using primary sources and accurate fact-checking in genealogy and history research is critical. Lineage societies and reputable historians cross-verify information to make sure that the record is correct.
Some narratives and agendas, particularly when research is driven by a personal and emotional connection, can distort historical facts, so historians urge the focus on accurate information and context.
Adryn also highlighted the potential privacy issues and ethical concerns associated with the DNA data mining that DNA testing platforms perform.
Genealogy OCR and HTR Tools
Translation and transcription tools, such as Adobe, Google Drive, Google Lens, Google Gemini, and Transcribers, are a huge bonus for researchers and historians. The tools allow users to translate typed or handwritten documents from other languages. They can also take scanned documents in strange fonts and transcribe them.
OCR and HTR are AI technologies for document translation and transcription. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. The OCR converts scanned images of text from documents, photos, or other digital scans into machine-readable, editable text. It analyzes images to identify characters. HTR stands for Handwritten Text Recognition.
Adryn told us,
“The advent of HTR has been next level. It is what we call the Holy Grail of handwritten recognition. I’ve been through countless documents with squiggly, hard-to-read script that looks like my five-year-old wrote it. HTR translates everything. Now, you always wonder, I hope this was accurate, but I think for the most part it is.”
Adryn discussed the use of software tools like Gemini and Google Lens for analyzing photos and documents, highlighting their ability to recognize cursive handwriting and improve OCR accuracy.
Tips for Using AI in Genealogy Research
As a journalist, Adryn is aware that using poorly crafted prompts can draw researchers down rabbit holes regarding family lineages or historic events. Adryn recommends double-checking prompts to ensure accurate results by submitting multiple prompts to AI genealogy platforms to see if the results are consistent.
Her advice is to use multiple sources and primary documents for genealogy research and not relying exclusively on AI. Taking this step allows the researcher to avoid succumbing to subjective results. According to Adryn, proving family lineage requires extensive documentation.
AI Is Transformational, But It’s Not Always Truthful
Genealogy can be challenging. Adryn describes it as a brutal pastime and frustrating.
“It’s like golf to some degree, but it’s so rewarding in the end because you come out with these wonderful stories. “
