The Family History AI Show

Description
Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little return from institute season to unpack a summer that reshaped the artificial intelligence landscape, beginning with the new model families from OpenAI and Anthropic and how to choose among them.

The hosts then examine desktop artificial intelligence applications, which read and write files directly in a folder on your own computer, followed by Mark’s Tip of the Week on connecting ChatGPT Desktop to Excel to update one of his complex spreadsheets.

In RapidFire, the hosts cover the hacking spree that both OpenAI and Anthropic disclosed this summer, models solving mathematical problems that stumped researchers for decades, and handwritten text recognition finally crossing the line into everyday usefulness.

The through line in today’s episode is the shrinking list of things artificial intelligence cannot do, and what that might mean for genealogy.

This episode is sponsored by the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference
The East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference is one of the best places in the world for advanced genetic genealogists to learn how the newest advances in genetic genealogy can improve their family history research. Mark and Steve are both presenting, and the conference begins August 21, 2026, in Boston. In person and online options are both available.
https://ecggc.org/

TimestampsOpening00:16 East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference in Boston
In the News03:40 Summer Model Releases: Choosing Between Fast, Cheap, and Good
07:54 The Rise of the Desktop Apps: Artificial Intelligence That Reads Your Local Files
Tip of the Week16:20 Connecting ChatGPT Desktop to Excel: Rebuilding a Complex Spreadsheet
RapidFire25:58 Artificial Intelligence Breaks Out: OpenAI and Anthropic Disclose Sandbox Escapes
31:24 Century-Old Math Problems Solved: Why Verifiable Fields Fall First
38:03 Handwritten Text Recognition: Transcription Is No Longer the Hard Part
Final Thoughts46:10 Episode Wrap and Boston Send-Off

Resource LinksEast Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference
https://ecggc.org/

Summer Model Releases
United States Government Grounds Anthropic
https://www.anthropic.com/news/fable-mythos-access
Sol Cheated on Itself
https://deploymentsafety.openai.com/gpt-5-6

The Rise of the Desktop Apps
Download ChatGPT for Desktop
https://chatgpt.com/download/
Install Claude Desktop
https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10065433-install-claude-desktop
Download Google Antigravity
https://antigravity.google/

Artificial Intelligence Solves Century-Old Math Problems
Ten Math Claims, Public Receipts from OpenAI
https://openai.com/index/ten-advances-in-mathematics/
Anthropic Cracked an 87-Year Math Problem
https://fortune.com/2026/07/21/ai-solves-jacobian-conjecture-levant-alpoge-claude-fable-5/

Handwritten Text Recognition
Dan Maloney’s Artificial Intelligence Handwriting Transcription Rankings
https://www.genea.ca/rankings/

TagsArtificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, OpenAI, Anthropic, ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Desktop, Google Antigravity, Desktop Applications, Excel, Spreadsheet Automation, Handwriting Recognition, Document Transcription, Gemini, Model Selection, Sandbox Escape, Mathematics, Genetic Genealogy, Dan Maloney, AI Tools

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little open with a deep look at MyHeritage's new Scribe AI, a new AI tool that analyzes records, photographs, gravestones, and coats of arms and provides genealogy relevant research suggestions. It even works on your own photographs.

This episode features an interview with Dave Vance, General Manager of Family Tree DNA, exploring how the hottest new genetic genealogy tests, provided by next-generation sequencing, deliver 400 times more genomic info than traditional microarray chips and what that means for matching, triangulation, and the future role of AI in genetic genealogy.

In RapidFire, the hosts cover Fold3's AI-powered full-text search for Revolutionary War pension files, Claude for Excel as a practical AI plug-in for Microsoft's spreadsheet, and Wikipedia's decision to ban AI-generated article content.
TimestampsOpening00:05 GRIP 2026 Course Announcements
In the News05:03 MyHeritage Scribe AI: Record and Photo Analysis for Genealogists
Interview14:58 Dave Vance, Family Tree DNA: Next-Generation Sequencing and AI in Genetic Genealogy
RapidFire45:54 Fold3 Full-Text Search: Revolutionary War Pension Files Now Searchable
53:46 Claude for Excel: AI-Powered Spreadsheet Analysis Plug-in
1:00:47 Wikipedia's AI Policy: Editors Vote to Ban AI-Generated Content
Final Thoughts1:08:19 Episode Wrap and Next Interview Preview
Resource LinksGRIP Genealogy Institute 2026 Courses
GRIP Genealogy Institute https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/

MyHeritage Scribe AI
Introducing Scribe AI https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/03/introducing-scribe-ai/

Fold3 Full-Text Search
Revolutionary War Pension Files: Now Available Through Full-Text Search https://blog.fold3.com/revolutionary-war-pension-files-now-available-through-full-text-search/

Claude for Excel
Use Claude for Excel https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12650343-use-claude-for-excel

Wikipedia AI Policy

Wikipedia Cracks Down on the Use of AI in Article Writing https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/26/wikipedia-cracks-down-on-the-use-of-ai-in-article-writing/

Wikipedia: Artificial Intelligence Policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Artificial_intelligence
TagsArtificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, MyHeritage, Scribe AI, Family Tree DNA, Dave Vance, Next-Generation Sequencing, Genetic Genealogy, Fold3, Handwriting Recognition, Full-Text Search, Claude for Excel, Wikipedia, AI Policy, Record Analysis, Photo Analysis, Revolutionary War, RootsTech, AI Tools

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the major AI model upgrades released over the winter, comparing Anthropic's Opus 4.6, OpenAI's GPT 5.4, and Google's Gemini 3.1 Pro and their benefits for genealogists.

In a special interview recorded at RootsTech 2026, they sit down with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer of Family Locket to explore how the Research Like a Pro methodology integrates with AI tools for transcription, locality research, and DNA analysis.

In RapidFire, they cover FamilySearch's new Simple Search interface for Full-Text Search, Ancestry's AI Stories feature for understanding historical records, and the escalating conflict between Anthropic and the U.S. federal government over the use of AI by the military.

Timestamps:In the News:
03:12 New AI Model Releases: Opus 4.6, GPT 5.4, and Gemini 3.1 Pro Transform Genealogy

Interview
19:40 Interview with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer: Research Like a Pro Meets AI

RapidFire:
44:05 FamilySearch Simple Search: Natural Language Meets Full-Text Search
48:24 Ancestry AI Stories: Understanding Historical Records with AI
53:00 Anthropic vs. U.S. Government: AI Ethics Battle Elevates Claude

Resource Links:New Models
Introducing GPT5.4
https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5-4/
Anthropic releases Opus 4.6
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/05/anthropic-releases-opus-4-6-with-new-agent-teams/
Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.6
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/17/anthropic-ai-claude-sonnet-4-6-default-free-pro.html
Gemini 3.1 Pro
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-1-pro/
Interview with Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer from Family Locket
About Diana Elder and Nicole Elder Dyer
https://familylocket.com/about-us/
Simple Search for Family Search Full Text Search
How do I use Fulltext Search?
https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-fulltext-search
Ancestry AI Stories
Ancestry Brings Family History to Life with New AI-Powered Stories
https://www.ancestry.ca/corporate/blog/ancestry-brings-family-history-to-life-with-new-ai-powered-stori
Anthropic and the U.S. Government
Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic in battle over AI use
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn48jj3y8ezo
Anthropic CEO responds to Trump order, Pentagon clash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPTNHrq_4LU

Tags:Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Models, RootsTech, FamilySearch, Ancestry, Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini

In the last episode of 2025, Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present their predictions for how artificial intelligence will transform genealogy research in 2026. This special episode examines fourteen key trends shaping the future of family history AI.

Mark and Steve predict that AI tools will move from enthusiast circles into mainstream genealogy practice, with AI-enhanced apps like NotebookLM becoming more important than the underlying language models that people have focused on for the past three years.

They explore how handwritten text recognition will become more accurate and accessible, and that genealogy companies will cautiously integrate new AI features, first focusing on helping us with our research.

Timestamps:02:33 Family History AI Goes Mainstream: From Enthusiasts to Everyday Users
04:13 Apps Over Models: Why Platform Features Matter More Than LLMs
06:17 Reusable Prompting Tools: GPTs, Projects, and Gems Boost Efficiency
08:02 AI-Enhanced Research Gains Acceptance Among Serious Genealogists
09:53 Handwritten Text Recognition Gets Better, Easier, and Cheaper
12:18 Genealogy Companies Take Cautious Approach to Generative AI
17:07 AI-Enhanced Browsers Become Standard, Agentic Features Raise Concerns
24:25 Voice Interfaces to AI Remain Niche in 2026
27:36 LLM Vendors Push File and Email Integration for Stickiness
31:46 Productivity Tools Embed LLMs Everywhere
35:56 The AI Horse Race: Three Leaders Emerge
41:15 AI Licensing Deals Change Internet Access Patterns
44:34 The AI Bubble Conversation is important to society, but less so to Genealogists

Resource Links:
The Family History AI Show Academy
https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Family History AI Goes Mainstream
What Can AI Do for Your Genealogical Research? – James Tanner (Nov 2025) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmVKy1pUPE

FamilySearch Shares Plans for 2025 (Includes AI integration details) https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/familysearch-shares-plans-for-2025

Reusable Prompting Tools
Custom GPTs vs. Gemini Gems: Who Wins? - Learn Prompting (Aug 2025) https://learnprompting.org/blog/custom-gpts-vs-gemini-gems

AI-Enhanced Research
Unlocking Family Histories: How AI Is Breathing New Life into Handwritten Records (South Central APG)
https://southcentralapg.org/2025/08/16/unlocking-family-histories-how-ai-is-breathing-new-life-into-handwritten-records/

Handwritten Text Recognition
A new Google model is nearly perfect on automated handwriting recognition - Hacker News https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45887262
Cautious AI from Genealogy Companies

AI-Enhanced Browsers
Compliance alert: Do not use AI browsers
https://vinciworks.com/blog/compliance-alert-do-not-use-ai-browsers/

Content Integration with Chatbots
Gemini vs Copilot: A Quick Comparison Guide (2025) - Tactiq
https://tactiq.io/learn/gemini-vs-copilot

AI in Office Productivity Tools
Microsoft Copilot in 2025: What's Changed & What's Next | Aldridge
https://aldridge.com/microsoft-copilot-in-2025-whats-changed-whats-next/
Monthly Round Up: New Features in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Dec 2025)
https://dynamicscommunities.com/ug/copilot-ug/monthly-round-up-new-features-in-microsoft-365-copilot/

The AI Horse Race
The Best AI in October 2025? We Compared ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini & Others - FelloAI
https://felloai.com/the-best-ai-in-october-2025-we-compared-chatgpt-claude-grok-gemini-others/
The 2025 AI Coding Models: Comprehensive Guide to the Top 5 Contenders - CodeGPT
https://www.codegpt.co/blog/ai-coding-models-2025-comprehensive-guide

AI Licensing Deals
Content Licensing Agreements Will Concentrate Markets Without Standardized Access - ProMarket
(Nov 2025) https://www.promarket.org/2025/11/20/content-licensing-agreements-will-concentrate-markets-without-standardized-access/

The False Hope of Content Licensing at Internet Scale - ProMarket
https://www.promarket.org/2025/11/19/the-false-hope-of-content-licensing-at-internet-scale/

The AI Bubble Conversation
The AI boom will turn to bust in 2026
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai-boom-will-turn-to-bust-next-year-says-this-forecaster-who-offers-his-trade-of-the-year-9c2a2332
OUTLOOK 2026 Promise and Pressure - J.P. Morgan (Discusses AI market stability vs bubble risks)
https://www.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpmorgan/documents/wealth-management/outlook-2026.pdf

Tags:Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Predictions, NotebookLM, HTR, AI Browsers, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present a special year-end episode, comparing their 2025 AI predictions to what actually unfolded in 2025. This episode is a great review of the top AI advancements in 2025!

The hosts examine which predictions hit the mark, including the agentic AI hype cycle, plummeting AI costs driven by DeepSeek, and the dethroning of OpenAI as the top AI model. They also explore predictions that proved partially accurate, such as the shift to local language models and the adoption of AI in social media.

Mark and Steve have a good laugh over their biggest misses, including breakthroughs in text-in-image generation, image restoration, and vibe coding. They highlight how reasoning models were the transformative force behind nearly every major AI advancement in 2025.

The episode closes with a preview of next week's 2026 predictions episode.
Timestamps:03:30 Agents, Agents, Everywhere: Deep Research and Agentic Browsers
09:49 Cost of AI Drops Like a Rock: DeepSeek Disrupts the Market
12:26 OpenAI Dethroned: Gemini and Anthropic Rise
18:46 Local Language Models
23:54 AI Invades Social Media
28:24 AI-Enhanced Writing: From Grammar Checking to Ghost Writers
32:30 Family Tree Diagrams: Possible But Not Practical
36:03 Handwriting Recognition: Reasoning Improves Results
38:01 Reasoning Models: 2025’s Most Important Advancement
41:31 Text in Images: A Solved Problem
45:05 Image Restoration: Breakthroughs and Responsibilities
51:02 Vibe Coding: Speaking Software Into Being

Resource Links:Register for a Class with the Family History AI Show Academy
https://tixoom.app/fhaishow

Agentic AI

Agentic AI In-Depth Report 2025
https://hblabgroup.com/agentic-ai-in-depth-report/

Perplexity's New AI-First Browser Kicks Off Agentic Applications
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenwolfepereira/2025/07/11/perplexitys-new-ai-first-browser-is-kicking-off-agentic-applications/
Cost of AI

State of AI in 10 Charts
https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-index-2025-state-of-ai-in-10-charts

Free AI Tools 2025
https://thehumanprompts.com/free-ai-tools-2025-platforms/
OpenAI Dethroned

Geoffrey Hinton says Google is 'beginning to overtake' OpenAI
https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-google-overtaking-openai-2025-12
Local AI Hardware

Assessing the On-Device Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunity
https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/assessing-the-on-device-ai-opportunity.pdf
Family Tree Diagrams

Explore how powerful AI image editing can support advanced creative workflows.
https://deepmind.google/models/gemini-image/pro/
Text in Images

Nano Banana Pro Review: Is Google's AI Image Generator Too Good?
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-nano-banana-pro-ai-image-generator-review/
Vibe Coding

No code, big dreams
https://www.businessinsider.com/non-technical-people-vibecoding-lessons-ai-apps-2025-9
Image Restoration

Responsible AI Photo Restoration
https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/

Protecting Trust in Historical Images
https://craigen.org/protecting-trust-in-historical-images/
Tags:
Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Predictions, Reasoning Models, DeepSeek, Gemini, Image Restoration, Vibe Coding, Agentic AI