The Family History AI Show

• EP38: 2025 Year in Review, A Look Back at Our 2025 AI Predictions, The Reasoning Revolution

  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 Browsers09:49 Cost of AI Drops Like a Rock: DeepSeek Disrupts the Market12:26 OpenAI Dethroned: Gemini and Anthropic Rise18:46 Local Language Models23:54 AI Invades Social Media28:24 AI-Enhanced Writing: From Grammar Checking to Ghost Writers32:30 Family Tree Diagrams: Possible But Not Practical36:03 Handwriting Recognition: Reasoning Improves Results38:01 Reasoning Models: 2025’s Most Important Advancement41:31 Text in Images: A Solved Problem45:05 Image Restoration: Breakthroughs and Responsibilities51:02 Vibe Coding: Speaking Software Into BeingResource Links:Register for a Class with the Family History AI Show Academyhttps://tixoom.app/fhaishowAgentic AIAgentic AI In-Depth Report 2025https://hblabgroup.com/agentic-ai-in-depth-report/Perplexity's New AI-First Browser Kicks Off Agentic Applicationshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenwolfepereira/2025/07/11/perplexitys-new-ai-first-browser-is-kicking-off-agentic-applications/Cost of AIState of AI in 10 Chartshttps://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-index-2025-state-of-ai-in-10-chartsFree AI Tools 2025https://thehumanprompts.com/free-ai-tools-2025-platforms/OpenAI DethronedGeoffrey Hinton says Google is 'beginning to overtake' OpenAIhttps://www.businessinsider.com/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-google-overtaking-openai-2025-12Local AI HardwareAssessing the On-Device Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunityhttps://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/assessing-the-on-device-ai-opportunity.pdfFamily Tree DiagramsExplore how powerful AI image editing can support advanced creative workflows.https://deepmind.google/models/gemini-image/pro/Text in ImagesNano 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 CodingNo code, big dreamshttps://www.businessinsider.com/non-technical-people-vibecoding-lessons-ai-apps-2025-9Image RestorationResponsible AI Photo Restorationhttps://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/Protecting Trust in Historical Imageshttps://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

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• EP37: Google Gemini 3 Released, ChatGPT 5.1 Upgrades, How Reasoning Improves Transcriptions, Canva AI Image Generation

  Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine Google's groundbreaking Gemini 3 release, which delivers state-of-the-art multimodal reasoning and sets a new benchmark for AI capabilities. They also explore ChatGPT's upgrade to version 5.1 with improved instruction following and better handling of longer conversation.The hosts discuss Canva's new Creative Operating System, which now generates AI-powered designs directly within the platform.This week's Tip of the Week demonstrates how Gemini 3 can use the context you provide it to greatly improve the accuracy of your hand written transcription.In RapidFire, they cover NotebookLM's new deep research mode, Nano Banana's integration into Photoshop, Anthropic's privacy policy changes regarding training data, and how Claude's new usage monitoring feature can reduce your stress level.Timestamps:In the News:04:17 Google Gemini 3’s Multimodal AI Reaches New Heights13:47 ChatGPT 5.1 upgrade is now better at following your Instructions22:39 Canva Creative Operating System: AI-Powered Design GenerationTip of the Week:26:21 Adding Reasoning to Your Transcriptions Improves AccuracyRapidFire:36:40 NotebookLM Becomes a Fully Featured Research Tool43:40 Nano Banana is Now Available in Photoshop47:20 Anthropic Announces Claude Chats Will Be Used for Training Data54:13 View Your Claude Usage in SettingsResource Links:Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academyhttps://tixoom.app/fhaishowGoogle Gemini 3Introducing Gemini 3: A New Era of Intelligencehttps://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3/ChatGPT 5.1A smarter, more conversationalhttps://openai.com/index/gpt-5-1/GPT-5.1 New Features Explainedhttps://scalevise.com/resources/gpt-5-1-new-features/Canva Creative Operating SystemIntroducing Canva's Creative Operating Systemhttps://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/creative-operating-system/NotebookLM Deep ResearchNotebookLM adds Deep Research and support for more source typeshttps://blog.google/technology/google-labs/notebooklm-deep-research-file-types/Nano Banana in PhotoshopCreate with unlimited generations using Google Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro) in Adobe Fireflyhttps://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/11/20/google-gemini-3-nano-banana-pro-firefly-photoshopAnthropic Privacy Policy UpdateAnthropic Will Use Claude Chats for Training Data: How to Opt Outhttps://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-using-claude-chats-for-training-how-to-opt-out/Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policyhttps://www.anthropic.com/news/updates-to-our-consumer-termsClaude Usage MonitoringUsage Limit Best Practiceshttps://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practicesTags:Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Canva, NotebookLM, Nano Banana, Anthropic Claude, Photo Restoration

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• EP36: Browser Wars Heat Up, What AI Can Learn from AOL, Anthropic's Speedy New AI Model, Simple Path to Better Prompts

  Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how new AI browsers are changing how genealogists research. They compare OpenAI's Atlas, Microsoft Edge, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity's Comet, explaining which features help family historians most.The hosts share lessons from the early AOL era that can be applied to the AI era. They also explore Anthropic's new Haiku 4.5, a very fast model that works great for simple tasks like transcription and summarization.Don’t miss this week's Tip of the Week, where Steve shows how AI can help you write better AI prompts. He uses an example for extracting information from draft cards to show how useful this approach can be.In RapidFire, they cover new AI features in spreadsheets, major improvements in transcribing old handwriting, and how Microsoft Copilot's new agent store tries to help you with common tasks.Timestamps:In the News:01:20 Browser Wars Heat Up: OpenAI Atlas, Edge, and Gemini Compete16:50 What AI Can Learn from AOL: Avoiding Walled Garden Mistakes29:10 Anthropic's Haiku 4.5: When Smaller Models Beat Bigger OnesTip of the Week:39:50 Using AI to Write Better Prompts for Historical DocumentsRapidFire:47:19 AI Makes Spreadsheets Easier: Google Sheets vs Excel54:35 Reading Old Handwriting Gets Better: DeepSeek and Google Updates01:05:15 Microsoft Copilot Adds Writing and Prompt CoachesResource Links:Genealogy and AI Facebook to hit 20k users! https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandaiAn In-Depth Look at OpenAI's AI Browserhttps://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/chatgpt-atlas-openai-browserDeepSeek AI created DeepSeek-OCR https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/10/deepseek-ocr/Nearly perfect on handwriting recognition https://generativehistory.substack.com/p/has-google-quietly-solved-two-ofGlobal AI Browser Market Sizehttps://market.us/report/ai-browser-market/Benchmarking Claude Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5 on 400 Real PRshttps://www.qodo.ai/blog/thinking-vs-thinking-benchmarking-claude-haiku-4-5-and-sonnet-4-5-on-400-real-prs/Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 4.5 Brings Enterprise-Grade Speed and Savings to Customer-Facing AIhttps://www.cxtoday.com/contact-center/anthropics-claude-haiku-4-5-brings-enterprise-grade-speed-and-savings-to-customer-facing-ai/Top 10 AI Spreadsheet Toolshttps://www.knack.com/blog/top-ai-spreadsheet-tools/Prompt Coach: Prebuilt agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chathttps://rishonapowerplatform.com/2025/03/11/prompt-coach-prebuilt-agent-for-microsoft-365-copilot-chat/Tags:Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, AI Browsers, OpenAI Atlas, Google Gemini, Microsoft Edge, Perplexity Comet, Anthropic Haiku, Meta-Prompting, Spreadsheet AI, OCR Technology, Handwritten Text, DeepSeek, Microsoft Copilot, AI Agents, Document Extraction, Family History, Browser Wars, AI Models

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• EP35: Nano Banana Comes to Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects Now Free, Citation Best Practices for Nano Banana, Sora 2 Goes Social, Claude Writes MS Office Documents

  Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how Google's Nano Banana photo restoration tool will revolutionize image restoration by integrating with Adobe Photoshop. This move will greatly reduce unintended changes to historical photos when editing them with AI.Next, they unpack OpenAI’s move to make ChatGPT Projects available to free-tier users, making research organization more accessible for genealogists.This week's Tip of the Week provides essential guidance on the responsible use AI when editing historical photos using AI tools like Nano Banana, ensuring transparency and trust in historical photographs.In RapidFire, they cover OpenAI's new Sora 2 AI-video social media platform, Claude's new ability to create and edit Microsoft Office files, memory features in Claude Projects, advancements in local language models, and how OpenAI's massive infrastructure deals are changing the AI landscape.Timestamps:In the News:02:43 Adobe improves historical photo restoration by adding Nano Banana to Photoshop09:34 ChatGPT Projects are Now FreeTip of the Week:13:36 Citations for AI-Restored Images Build Trust in AI-Modified PhotosRapidFire:21:24 Sora 2 Goes Social27:23 Claude Adds Microsoft Office Creation and Editing34:26 Memory Features Come to Claude Projects38:32 Apple and Amazon both create Local Language Model tools44:47 OpenAI's Big Data Centre Deal with Oracle Resource LinksOpenAI announces free access to ChatGPT Projectshttps://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notesEngadget: OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Projects to Free Usershttps://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-rolls-out-chatgpt-projects-to-free-users-215027802.htmlForbes: OpenAI Makes ChatGPT Projects Freehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2025/09/14/small-business-technology-roundup-microsoft-copilot-does-not-improve-productivity-and-openai-makes-chatgpt-project-free/Responsible AI Photo Restorationhttps://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/Claude now has memory, but only for certain usershttps://mashable.com/article/anthropic-claude-ai-now-has-memory-for-some-usersNew Apple Intelligence features are available todayhttps://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/new-apple-intelligence-features-are-available-today/Introducing Amazon Lens Livehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/search-image-amazon-lens-live-shopping-rufusAmazon Lens Live Can Scan and Pull Up Matcheshttps://www.pcmag.com/news/spot-an-item-you-wish-to-buy-amazon-lens-live-can-scan-and-pull-up-matchesA Joint Statement from OpenAI and Microsoft About Their Changing Partnershiphttps://openai.com/index/joint-statement-from-openai-and-microsoft/The Verge: OpenAI and Oracle Pen $300 Billion Compute Dealhttps://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/776170/oracle-openai-300-billion-contract-project-stargateReuters: OpenAI and Oracle Sign $300 Billion Computing Dealhttps://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-oracle-sign-300-billion-computing-deal-wsj-reports-2025-09-10/?utm_source=chatgpt.comTagsArtificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Photo Restoration, AI Tools, OpenAI, Google, Adobe Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects, Nano Banana, Image Editing, AI Citations, Sora 2, Video Generation, Claude, Microsoft Office, Apple Intelligence, Amazon Lens, Oracle, Cloud Computing, Local Language Models, AI Infrastructure, Responsible AI, Historical Photos

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• EP34: 2025 Mid-Year AI Review, FamilySearch Full-Text Goes Live, Nano Banana Photo Restoration Tips, AI's Environmental Impact

  Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little review the biggest AI breakthroughs of 2025 so far, from DeepSeek's open-source revolution to GPT-5's unified reasoning model.Mark and Steve also celebrate FamilySearch's Full-Text Search moving from experimental labs to the main website, covering 1.4 billion records across 4,300 collections plus new summarization and filtering features.This week's Tip of the Week provides practical guidance on using Nano Banana for photo restoration, explaining when it works brilliantly and when to exercise caution with damaged images.In RapidFire, they examine competing reports on AI's environmental impact, explore Google's new AI Mode in mobile apps, and discuss the landmark antitrust ruling that forces Google to share search data with competitors.Timestamps:In the News:03:44 2025 Mid-Year Review: AI's Explosive Growth in Genealogy29:08 FamilySearch Full Text Search Is Now Live37:57 AI Success Stories in the Wild: Real Genealogists, Real ResultsTip of the Week:47:53 Best Uses for Nano Banana (Gemini Nano): Small Model, Big ImpactRapidFire:59:54 AI's Environmental Debate: Energy Costs vs. Benefits1:03:50 Google AI in Mobile Apps: What It Means for Genealogists1:11:07 Google Antitrust Ruling Issued: Impact on AI DevelopmentResource Links:Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academyhttps://tixoom.app/fhaishowFull-Text Search (must be logged in to use this link)https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/Full-Text Search Leaves FamilySearch Labshttps://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/full-text-search-leaves-familysearch-labsHow do I use FullText Search?https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-fulltext-searchResponsible AI Photo Restorationhttps://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/WaPo AI Energy Usage, Sept 2024https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/18/energy-ai-use-electricity-water-data-centers/Google: How much energy does Google's AI use? We did the mathhttps://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/measuring-the-environmental-impact-of-ai-inference/Judge orders Google to share search data as part of antitrust ruling --- but Google gets to keep Chromehttps://www.tomsguide.com/computing/search-engines/judge-orders-google-to-share-search-data-as-part-of-antitrust-ruling-but-google-gets-to-keep-chrome?utm_source=chatgpt.com Tags:Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, DeepSeek R1, AI Reasoning, Open Source AI, Free AI Tools, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, OpenAI Operator, AI Agents, Beginner AI Guide, Research Tools, Document Analysis, AI Democratization, Context Windows, Deep Research, AI Writing, Browser Automation, Genealogy Research, AI Accessibility, Reasoning Models, AI Education

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