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.
Episodes
She had six children, a 33-year marriage, and witnesses who knew her as Mrs. Hoffman. So why couldn't this Civil War widow prove she was married?
In this heartbreaking case study, we dive into a 173-page pension file that reveals how one missing piece of paper destroyed a family—and how FREE AI tools helped me uncover the devastating truth behind rejected widow pension applications.
What You'll Discover in This Episode:
✅ Th...
What if you could search through 2+ BILLION genealogy records in 30 seconds instead of spending hours browsing page by page?
In this complete tutorial episode, you'll discover FamilySearch Full-Text Search—a free AI-powered tool that's revolutionizing how genealogists find their ancestors. This game-changing feature uses artificial intelligence to read handwriting in over 7,757 collections, making previously unsearchable r...
Discover how to use the FAN Club method (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) combined with free AI tools to extract entire census neighborhoods into spreadsheets and find missing relatives. In this complete tutorial, I share exactly how I found my German immigrant ancestor's missing brother hiding five houses away on the 1910 census—after he'd been invisible for 115 years.
What You'll Learn:
- How to extract 60+ people f...
What if you could trace your immigrant ancestor from their American death certificate all the way back to their exact birthplace in the old country—in just six hours? In this complete case study episode, I share exactly how I did it using four AI tools strategically.
This isn't theory. This is a real research journey I completed last week, tracing German immigrant Heinrich Mueller from his 1923 Pennsylvania death to his 1875 ba...
Staring at hundreds of DNA matches with no idea where to start? Wondering if AI can help solve your genealogy DNA mysteries? In this groundbreaking episode of Ancestors and Algorithms, discover how to safely combine DNA results with AI chatbots to revolutionize your family history research—without compromising anyone's privacy.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
This comprehensive guide teaches genealogists exactly how to u...
Are you using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity for genealogy research? AI hallucinations—when artificial intelligence confidently generates false information about your ancestors—represent one of the biggest dangers facing family historians today. Groundbreaking research from OpenAI published in September 2025 finally reveals WHY large language models make up plausible-but-false family history, and HOW you can prevent it with...
Feeling overwhelmed by Perplexity AI? You're not alone. Most genealogists have heard about this powerful AI research tool but don't know where to start—or they've tried it once, got confused by all the buttons and options, and went right back to their comfort zone.
But what if I told you that Perplexity AI could become your most powerful genealogy research tool? That it could help you solve brick walls that have stump...
Discover how to use Claude by Anthropic for genealogy research in this comprehensive 40-minute tutorial. Learn to create living research plans with Artifacts, write compelling ancestor biographies, analyze complex documents, and choose the right Claude model (Sonnet 4.5, Sonnet 4, Opus) for your family history needs—90% available on the FREE plan!
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
Master Claude AI from beginner to advanced gene...
Master ChatGPT for genealogy research in 2025! This complete AI family history guide teaches beginners to advanced users how to leverage ChatGPT's powerful features—Projects, Canvas, Pulse, and Deep Research—for ancestor discovery and breaking genealogy brick walls.
Discover how to use ChatGPT (the world's most popular large language model LLM chatbot with 200M+ users) as your AI genealogy research assistant. Learn proven ...
Conquer Handwriting Transcription with AI: Transkribus Complete Beginner's Guide for Genealogists
Finally decode impossible ancestor handwriting! Join Brian on Ancestors and Algorithms as he conquers his own Transkribus intimidation and walks you step-by-step from complete beginner to confident user. Perfect for genealogists who've been avoiding this powerful AI handwriting recognition tool.
What You'll Master:
✅ FREE ...
Ever felt like you're missing the forest for the trees in your genealogy research? In Episode 8 of Ancestors and Algorithms, we're stepping back from individual brick walls to discover the hidden patterns across your entire family tree that could unlock whole branches of research.
Brian shares a breakthrough story about spotting a massive migration pattern that had been hiding in plain sight for years – and how AI pattern ...
Recovery, Verification, and Turning Disasters into Breakthroughs
🚨 THE EPISODE EVERY GENEALOGIST NEEDS TO HEAR
What happens when AI confidently tells you your great-grandmother was a famous opera singer, your mysterious uncle was a Civil War spy, and your family has royal connections... and none of it is true?
In this extended 35-minute episode, we dive deep into the uncomfortable reality of AI hallucinations in genealogy resear...
Ready to complete your AI genealogy toolkit? Perplexity AI is the research game-changer you've been waiting for!
This final episode of our AI 101 series shows you how to set up Perplexity - the "answer engine" that searches the web in real-time and provides every answer with clickable citations. Perfect for genealogists who want AI help with proper source verification. In 10 minutes, you'll have Perplexity resear...
Already using Gmail, Google Photos, or Google Drive for genealogy? Google Gemini setup just got incredibly simple!
This step-by-step Google Gemini tutorial shows you how to connect your existing Google account to Google's powerful AI assistant in just 10 minutes. No new accounts needed - if you use any Google service, you're already halfway there! Perfect for genealogists who want AI help that integrates beautifully with t...
Never tried Claude AI but curious about what all the buzz is about? This complete beginner tutorial makes it ridiculously simple!
This step-by-step Claude AI setup guide takes you from "What is Claude?" to having your first successful AI conversation in just 10 minutes. No technical knowledge required – just follow along and you'll have Claude set up, working, and ready to help with whatever you need.
🎯 Perfect for Co...
Tired of feeling left behind by all the AI genealogy buzz? This episode is your lifeline!
If you've been intimidated by ChatGPT and artificial intelligence but desperately want to join the genealogy AI revolution, this gentle, step-by-step tutorial is designed specifically for you. No technical knowledge required – just follow along and you'll have ChatGPT working as your personal family history research assistant in just ...
ANCESTORS AND ALGORITHMS - EPISODE 6
"From Data to Dynasty: How AI Turned My Most Boring Ancestor Into the Family Legend"
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Tired of ancestors who seem boring? Just birth dates, death dates, and maybe an occupation? In this episode, I'll show you how to transform the most ordinary family members into extraordinary stories that make your relatives actually want to read about their anc...
Teaching AI to Read Great-Aunt Mildred's Cursive: Step-by-Step AI Transcription Mastery
Tired of squinting at impossible-to-read family letters and handwritten documents? In this episode, I walk you through the complete process of getting AI to transcribe those challenging handwritten genealogy documents that have been gathering dust in your research files.
You'll learn the exact 5-step photography protocol that genealogist...
When I enhanced a damaged 1920s photo of my great-great-grandmother using AI, my mom started crying. "It's like meeting her for the first time," she said. "I can see she has the same nose as me."
This isn't just another episode about AI photo enhancement – this is your complete step-by-step tutorial for transforming blurry, damaged family photos into crystal-clear windows to your ancestors' lives.
�...
BREAKTHROUGH ALERT: The 17 words that cracked a 25-year genealogy brick wall in just 2 weeks!
Discover the exact "prompt sandwich" method that transforms AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity from generic search assistants into powerful genealogy research partners. This episode reveals word-for-word prompts you can copy and paste TODAY to breakthrough your toughest family history mysteries.
What You'll ...
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