41. Artificial Intelligence and Genealogy

 

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) might seem a bit scary to some folks, but it has proven to be a boon to genealogists.  This technology is buried in many of the tools we use for family history research.

 

Google’s chess playing AI software, Alpha Zero, is so good that it can now beat any human.  MIT also used AI to discover the new antibiotic Halicin.  Check the name of this new drug – after “Hal” the super spaceship computer in the novel “2001 – A Space Odyssey”.  The military is using AI to assist fighter pilots. AI can be applied to help genealogists.  Family Search uses AI to read mountains of hand-written records (e.g., census records) to produce an index.  AI can search podcasts for specific words. 

 

Google’s search engine also uses AI.  Family Search and Ancestry.com also use AI.  My Heritage uses AI to improve your old photographs.

 

Hence, you can not only use your own brain for the detective work of genealogy, but you can also enlist some powerful AI.  AI can answer some questions like “Why genealogy?”.  Or “General approaches to genealogical research”.  The AI “bot” will search millions of online records in a flash to generate a consensus type of a result.  Try some questions to see. 

 

However, do not expect AI to break through your “Brick Wall” for you.  You will still be the ultimate detective and data auditor for every step of the discovery process.  

 

Check out AI and genealogy at your local genealogical society.  Folks there will likely have some thoughts to share on this topic. 

 

 

 

Ron Gilmore

Email:         rvg3@me.com

Website:     https://www.rgenealogy.ca