“There’s an AI for that”

With the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools available, have you considered how many tasks in genealogy might be made easier with its use? A type of AI is used to make suggestions based on your previous purchases. Search experiences are beginning to incorporate AI. AI tools can be used in the creative process to invent images and content. AI is already incorporated into many tasks already done in genealogy, such as translation and indexing.

In upcoming blog posts, we will explore a few ways that genealogical tasks that can be done more efficiently with AI. We will look for ways AI might help with a task that has been looming or to overcome hurdles in your way.

Think about tasks that you do in genealogy that could be automated or done more efficiently by using AIs. There is probably already an AI tool for that. Some potential ideas are:

• Extracting text from:
  • Images of typewritten text
  • Images of handwritten text
• Converting interviews to text
• Editing images to:
  • Remove backgrounds
  • Remove parts elements in the pictures
• Working with text
  • Summarizing text
  • Analyzing text
  • Formatting text
• Formatting citations
• Writing content

NOTE: There are many other AIs that can do amazing things. Check out recommended tools from sources that you trust. While you can search the web for tools but be sure to trust your antivirus software and only click on safe websites. The best suggestion is to always try before paying any fee.

NOTE: Do not upload sensitive information into any AI tool.

In Memoriam: Sharon Gumerove

This past year the frequency of blog posts slowed as I processed the loss of my best friend since 8th grade, Sharon Gumerove. You might have seen her name gracing the dedications in my books, acknowledging her unwavering support of my efforts, especially in website and editing services.

Being from different boroughs in New York City, we might not have met had it not been for us attending what could be considered a magnet school, Hunter College High School. Our adventures could easily fill a book. We were part of a team publishing a science fiction fan magazine in high school and college. We drove across the country when I moved to California, long before she had her driver’s license. There were so many great times we spent together. More than that, we were family.

If our adventures could fill a book, Sharon’s acts of kindness to others could fill a library. She was a beacon of generosity, always ready to lend a helping hand. The lives she touched were undoubtedly better for having known her.

Thanks to phone calls and social media we stayed in close contact. Just before her passing, we spent countless late nights discussing uses of new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Her focus was on content creation for her websites and social media; my focus was about how to use AI in genealogy and to support all types of learning. We bounced ideas off each other, sharing our experiments and what we had learned. The feeling of loss echoes every time I contemplate reaching out to share a moment or inquire about her life.

Sharon had an array of plans for the future; her death was truly unanticipated. I found myself drawing on the genealogical search and contact skills I had amassed to reach out to those close enough to attend her funeral and the users of her web hosting service. She had hosted my website, and the transition, though challenging, became manageable with the skills she had imparted. She had taught me enough to manage my website; I only needed to learn about web hosting.

As we step into 2024 with hopes and plans, there’s an undeniable sadness: a realization that we are closing the book on the last year Sharon was with us. May her memory be a blessing, a testament to the profound impact she had on all our lives.

Shake That Family Tree Event

On 14 October 2023 the Howard County Genealogical and Historical Societies and the Howard County Public Library System organized the “Shake That Family Tree” event at the Miller Library in Ellicott City, MD. This was intended as a beginner-level event, but there was certainly great information for all the genealogists who attended.

I was delighted to have been invited to host a table about military research and my books. All day long there were interesting talks, and a room full of tables with representatives from local history and genealogical societies who were eager to share information about what they were doing and offer help to genealogists at all levels.

Many of the people who stopped by did not know if they had ancestors who served in WWI. The best place to check is the FamilySearch database for the VA Master Index, which has been covered in this updated blog’s post “Did My Ancestor Serve in WWI?” to reflect the changed search interface.

The Howard County Genealogical and Historical Societies and the Miller Library hosted a wonderful event, and it is certainly my hope that this might become an annual event!

Back to School: Genealogy Style

When autumn comes, we think of going back to school. Genealogists are always learning, and webinars are a great way to do that. Presentations give us information, introduce us to new techniques or provide a new way of looking at our research. These resources in the blog post offer great classes and more.

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The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library hosts the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) and has many recorded webinars available on its YouTube Channel. You can even send them an email if you have a question.

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The Midwest Genealogy Center at Mid-Continent Public Library offers a variety of resources. You can even request an Appointment with a Genealogy Consultant. Be sure to check out their upcoming and register for them on their events page. You can view their recorded talks on their YouTube Channel.

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BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library offers new webinars every week. They also offer a large library of recorded webinars.

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Of course for the more adventurous, consider a class at your local community college.

When everyone around is going back to school, join them!

ChatGPT Shared Links

NOTE: DO NOT ENTER PRIVATE OR SENSITIVE DATA INTO ChatGPT. Your data is used for training, and is reviewed by OpenAI to verify that content complies with their policies and safety requirements. Data may be used for training purposes.

ChatGPT has a new feature, and it’s pretty nice! Next to the name of the chat there are buttons to edit the name of the chat, share the chat and delete the chat.

Now you can share your chats via the click of a button.

When you share the chat, anyone with the link will be able to see what you and the AI chatted about, up until the time that you generated the link. If your conversation with the AI continues after the link has been created (by sending new messages to the AI), the new part of the conversation will not be shared.

When you click on the button to share the chat, you are able to see a preview of what will be shared.

Click on the three dots (sideways snowman) to share your username when the link is opened.

The other option is to share anonymously.

Click on the Copy Link button, and the link can then be pasted in an email, or by other means.

A really interesting feature is that the person with the link has the option to Continue this conversation if they are logged into their OpenAI account.

A user with the link can import your conversation into their own chat history. They will have that part of your conversation, even if you delete the conversation in your account.

You can delete the link, and it will no longer work.

In addition to sharing a chat, I found the shared link feature helpful for copying the text of a conversation and pasting it into a word processing document. I opened a new tab in my browser and pasted the link.

When you click on More Info, a browser tab will open to the ChatGPT Shared Links FAQ page.

The first piece of information on this page is that this feature may not be available on your account yet. The feature is being rolled out gradually.

Let me know how you do.