Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy
Stuck on a family history brick wall? It's time to add the most powerful tool to your genealogy toolkit: Artificial Intelligence. Welcome to Ancestors and Algorithms, the definitive guide to revolutionizing your family tree research with AI.
Forget the hype and confusion. This isn't just another podcast about AI; this is your hands-on, step-by-step masterclass using AI. Each week, host and researcher Brian demystifies the technology and shows you exactly how to apply AI tools to find ancestors, analyze records, and solve your toughest genealogy puzzles.
We explore the incredible promise of AI while navigating its perils with an honest, practical approach. Learn to use AI as your personal research assistant—not a replacement for your own critical thinking.
Join us to learn how to:
- Break through brick walls using AI-driven analysis and data correlation.
- Transcribe old, hard-to-read documents, letters, and census records in minutes.
- Use ChatGPT, Gemini, and other Generative AI to draft biographies, summarize findings, and organize your research.
- Analyze DNA matches and historical records to uncover hidden family connections.
- Master prompts that get you accurate results and avoid AI "hallucinations."
- Discover the latest AI tech and digital tools for genealogists before anyone else.
Whether you're a beginner genealogist or a seasoned family historian, if you're ready to upgrade your research skills, this podcast is for you. Hit Follow now and turn AI into your ultimate secret weapon for uncovering your ancestry.
Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy
Latest Episodes
Ep. 46: The Paper Son - Chinese Roots and AI | Cracking a Chinese Exclusion Act Case
During the Chinese Exclusion Act, one immigrant's 200-page federal case file was built to hide his real name, and nearly succeeded.For sixty-one years, the Chinese Exclusion Act barred an entire ethnicity from immigrating to the United S...
Ep. 45: The Name on the Draft Card
A single 1917 WWI draft card, plus a naturalization petition filed seven years later, reveal an Italian immigrant's real birth name. This is a real, start-to-finish example of using AI for genealogy research, ChatGPT, Claude, and NotebookLM wor...
Ep. 44: The Email That Gets Results - AI Archive Correspondence in English and German
Use ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to email any archive in the world, including drafting a formal German-language request, in under 15 minutes.Most genealogists stop when online records run out. But the records you need are often one pr...
Ep. 43: Crossing the U.S. Border - Hispanic Roots and AI
Three AI tools, one 1866 Mexican parish register, and the family that a U.S. census reduced to a single word: México.Brian traces composite ancestor Esteban Vasquez through two Arizona census records where birthplace r...
Ep. 42: Writing the Proof - How AI Helps You Make Your Case
You can write a genealogical proof argument using 3 AI tools in one afternoon: NotebookLM organizes your evidence, Claude drafts and stress-tests the argument, and ChatGPT reviews it for plain-language clarity. This is the GPS Mini-Series capst...