Artificial Intelligence and DNA in Genealogy: New Tools for Your Research

For decades, those of us researching our family history have watched technology change the way we work. If you started your journey towards the end of the twentieth century, you expected to travel to a library or courthouse, sit among books, periodicals, and boxes of old papers, and read unindexed material for hours. If you were fortunate, some of what you needed was microfilmed, and you could crank faded and blurry images until your shoulders ached and your hands cramped. The first of many updates in genealogy came to microfilm readers when they became more automatic. Film could be threaded, advanced, or reversed with just a touch of a button.  But, lucky for us, technology forged onwards, and our lives became a whole lot easier.

Computers, and more specifically the internet, changed everything. Once it became fairly simple to turn paper documents and old microfilms into digital images, the world opened up for us genealogists. It only got better when software came along that facilitated enhancing the images. Blurred and fuzzy could be sharpened. Dark and faded could be lightened and made legible. Genealogy-oriented websites blossomed, some hosting thousands of images that previously resided in brick-and-mortar repositories inaccessible to many of us. Record sets that had been too difficult to use suddenly were indexed, and our families dropped into our laps.

The past few decades have brought more changes to genealogy as DNA testing has become easily available, and new doors have opened for many of us because of what we’ve been able to find. And now, seemingly overnight, we are beginning to see how artificial intelligence (AI) is nudging its way into our family history research. 

Potential for AI in Genealogy

Most people are a bit fearful of change. We like the feeling of knowing what we are doing, of having things be predictable, and of being able to do the same things in the same way successfully. It’s unnerving when something new comes along, especially if we don’t entirely understand it. As a result, many of us “old timers” to genealogy have stood back a bit from all this “new stuff.” However, the more we learn about using DNA and AI to enrich our work, the better off we are going to be, and StLGS is here to help you get started.

Why bother? If all you know about AI is that Alexa can tell you if your package has arrived and Siri can pop out a text message while you are driving, then think about some exciting potential uses for AI in your genealogy:

• Transcribing records: Some AI software can read handwriting, not just in English but in many languages.
• Examining images: You can use it to identify faces, enhance colors, and help organize your old photos.
• Analyzing multiple datasets and finding similarities and/or matches
• Helping to build family trees based on likely relationships
• Creating narratives, essays, stories, and other written documents
• Translating: Not only can some software read other languages, it can also translate for you, including difficult cursive in other alphabets.

If this sounds more exciting than frightening, it’s time to jump on board. StLGS is excited to host a trio of experts on DNA and AI for its annual Family History Conference on Saturday, 3 May 2025. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and DNA:

Tools for Unlocking Your Past

Featuring Steve Little, Jim Brewster, and Josiah Schmidt

Maryland Heights Community Center, 2300 McKelvey Road, St. Louis, MO 63043

This will be held as a hybrid event. Join us for a full day of lectures, exhibitors, and a chance to chat over morning coffee or lunch. If you can't attend in person, join us via Zoom. All the lectures will be recorded, and registered attendees will have access to all seven lectures after the conference. For those coming to the Maryland Heights Community Center, a box lunch can be purchased for an additional fee.

Saturday's Program (All times are Central Time Zone)

9:00 a.m.: Doors open

9:45 a.m.: Opening Remarks 

10:00 a.m.: "First Steps with AI-Assisted Genealogy" by Steve Little AND "Autosomal DNA and Artificial Intelligence: 21st Century Genetic Genealogy," by Josiah Schmidt

11:15 a.m.: "AI-Genealogy," by Steve Little AND "Add Some Might to Your Research with Mitochondria!" by Jim Brewster

1:15 p.m.: "AI Q&A: Time to Answer Your Many AI Questions," by Steve Little AND "Y-DNA: Making Men Feel Important Since 300,000 B.C.E.," by Jim Brewster

2:30 p.m.: Joint Session in the Millennium Room: "Training our AI Overlords: A Guide to Actually Useful Chatbots," by Steve Little and Jim Brewster

Complete details of each lecture and speaker bios are on our website. To see them, click on the Lectures and Speakers links in the upper right-hand corner of the Conference page.

Conference Registration

Registration for the 2025 Family History Conference (FHC) is now open. Registration prior to 17 April is $65 for StLGS members and $75 for nonmembers. All of the information you need to register is on our website. Prices go up on 18 April, so register soon!

Once you have registered, you will receive an invitation to the FHC via the email address you provide. (Note: The email will come to you during the week before the conference.) Those attending in person will receive a paper syllabus. All registrants will have access to the syllabus as a downloadable PDF from a link on our website as well as all seven digital recordings.

Questions? Email programs@stlgs.org and the vice-president for programs will get back to you. 

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Want to Learn More Now?

FamilySearch Blog, AI Developments in Genealogy, by Abby Tanner, 15 August 2024, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/ai-developments-genealogy

StLGS Monthly Meeting “Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Genealogy,” by Jim Ross, February 2025, https://stlgs.org/events/meetings/monthly-meeting