My Complicated Relationship With AI Creations in Genealogy

Linda Stufflebean, (Empty Branches on the Family Tree) recently posted MyHeritage Introduces Family Infographics and Tribute Reels. Family Infographics uses your family tree and photos to create an AI generated piece of artwork. Tribute reels use photos to create a visual story of the subject. It was really interesting to see these new features in action! Her post got me thinking...

MyHeritage has been at the forefront when it comes to engaging users with AI features. They provide many AI-assisted tools including:

• Colorizing and enhancing photos
• Estimating dates of old photos (PhotoDater™)
• Animating photos (Deep Nostalgia™)
• Creating animated video clips from a photo (LiveMemory™)
• Transcribing and analyzing an uploaded document (Scribe AI)
• Turning a series of photos into a visual story (Tribute Reels)
• Using tree information and photos to create shareable artwork (Family Infographics)

I readily embrace using AI for many tasks:

• Formatting data just the way I like
• Newspaper or document transcriptions
• Helping me come up with a catchy title or SEO description for my posts. 
• Searching for public information on an ancestor, and providing me with research suggestions
• Double checking my blog post for grammar and punctuation

Just to be clear, I do not ask AI to create my blog content for me. While it's certainly capable of generating a post in just seconds, I prefer to do my own writing. And I never use AI as a source for facts in my tree. It's just not reliable enough yet. When it comes to genealogy, AI is no substitute for actual research. As I sit here looking over this list, I realize, most of my uses for AI are data-driven.

When it comes to photos, artwork and animations (the creative side of AI), I've steered clear of using it. I truly prefer photos as close to the originals as possible. For me, even the hue of a photo tells a story. The faded colors, speckles, spots and creases all add character. I don't really care for colorized photos (though I do understand the appeal). I've dabbled with minimal photo enhancement, but I generally stay as true to the original as I can.

When it comes to animated photos (or worse, talking animations)...well...truth be told, they creep me out more than a little. I enjoy studying the subject(s) of old photos, dissecting the minute details and shadows like a fine piece of art. But I don't enjoy those same subjects turning their heads, moving or talking to me. I'd rather let my imagination bring photos to life, much as the subjects and recipients of the originals would have done. 

For ages, family historians have shared GEDCOMs, hand typed remembrances, or even summaries created by the software and websites we choose to use. Family histories may be passed out at reunions, or even published in a tidy little book and distributed to family members. But in most cases, information provided in this manner is merely a distillation of facts (perhaps with a few photos thrown in for good measure). It does little to bring our ancestors to life. While genealogists certainly appreciate any and all details we can get our hands on, the vast majority of our family probably finds these same details boring. Younger generations, with far more exposure to AI-assisted creations, might well find these new AI creations far more captivating than traditional presentations of family facts. I could easily see how they might even inspire a new generation of family historians! 

Another very real benefit may be for the older generations (meaning those who do not readily use computers or smartphones for much more than email). I realize this population is rapidly shrinking, and with them so do the memories they have tucked away. Animations or colorful artwork may very well spark something within them. Perhaps they'll say "Aunt Edna's nose isn't quite right" or "My grandpa's eyes were a more brilliant blue," and segue into stories we've never heard before. While they may be very interested in the facts, they may not have the computer skills, eyesight or knowledge to do research on their own. AI-generated content may be very intriguing to them (even if they don't understand how it's done). Grandparents often proudly point out pictures of their children and grandchildren, or drawings created by little ones and they might very well do the same with colorful artwork about an ancestor. 

While MyHeritage isn't the only site to integrate AI tools for users, it certainly is the leader of the pack in genealogy. FamilySearch.org is also ahead of the curve with their Full Text Search. Their AI integration was done with thought and purpose and has been beyond helpful for many family historians. In this arena, Ancestry and FindMyPast both offer photo colorization and restoration and a few other AI features, but they don't compare to MyHeritage in scope, or FamilySearch in usability. I'll probably continue to focus on data-driven uses for AI. But I'll watch quietly from the wings as others share their photo, artwork and video creations. It will be interesting to see how each of the big four companies move forward, maximizing and expanding the capabilities of AI functions for family historians.

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to check grammar and punctuation, provide minor titling assistance, and creation of the brief description of this post. All content is entirely my own.

Image by Artapixel from Pixabay