To read the article in full, hit here First published by Legacy Tree on their blog
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for genealogy research is still in its infancy but gaining momentum as each new tool is released, including ChatGPT and Google Translate. These tools do not replace the need for a professional genealogist to analyze the data but can speed up the research process by finding information more rapidly.
We asked our research team how genealogists can apply AI to their genealogy research projects. Here are some of their key learnings and cautions.
First, How AI Tools Work
The AI tools used most often by genealogists rely on NLP – Natural Language Processing. NLP enables machines to interpret, understand, apply, and generate human language. Researchers can use NLP effectively to extract data from historical documents for analysis. Documents most readily analyzed include birth and death certificates, census records, marriage licenses, and even newspapers. The NLP algorithms can extract names, dates, and locations from these records, saving a researcher valuable time.
AI tools also have machine learning algorithms that help to predict relationships. Large datasets of family history information can train the algorithm to make predictions about family relationships or to find missing information. The algorithm may then be able to fill in gaps in a family tree or predict how likely two people are related to one another based on their DNA test results.
