AI in Genealogy: Game-Changing Tools That Are Revolutionizing Family History Research

Something big is happening in genealogy right now, and you need to know about it.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars just kicked off 2025 with a bang, bringing together six of the brightest minds in genealogy and AI for a groundbreaking panel discussion.

We’re talking about experts who are literally shaping how we’ll do family history research in the future.

And let me tell you – this isn’t your typical “technology is scary” conversation. These experts didn’t just talk about AI; they showed us exactly how to use it to make breakthrough discoveries in our family research.

The Expert Panel That’s Changing the Game

When you get Thomas MacEntee, Blaine Bettinger, Diana Elder, Mark Thompson, Steve Little, and Andrew Redfern in one virtual room, you know something amazing is about to happen.

These aren’t just tech enthusiasts – they’re seasoned genealogists who understand exactly what researchers like you and me need.

Each of them brought their A-game, sharing real-world examples of how AI is transforming family history research.

And the best part? They made it accessible for everyone, from complete beginners to experienced researchers.

The Truth About AI in Genealogy

Let’s address the elephant in the room first: AI is not going to replace genealogists. Not now, not in 2025, and probably not anytime soon. Blaine Bettinger made this crystal clear during the webinar.

What AI is doing, though, is revolutionizing how we work with records.

Thomas MacEntee revealed that major genealogy companies have been using AI for years – they just didn’t call it that.

Remember how quickly the 1950 census became searchable? That was AI at work.

FamilySearch is now using AI to index not just basic information, but also details like witnesses in court cases that were previously too time-consuming to include.

Getting Started with AI: It’s Easier Than You Think

Andrew Redfern shared a brilliantly simple approach to getting started with AI.

Begin with ChatGPT’s free version, he advised, and practice with ancestors you know well. This helps you learn the ropes and spot any mistakes quickly.

The key is starting small – one document, one task at a time. Once you’re comfortable, you can gradually tackle bigger projects.

Game-Changing Success Stories

Diana Elder shared a breakthrough story that will get you excited.

She was stuck on a brick wall ancestor. Traditional research methods weren’t cutting it – she had 126 tax record entries to analyze, and the manual process was overwhelming.

Using AI, she not only processed all this data efficiently but discovered that her initial family connection theory was completely wrong.

This led her to a new research direction and potential breakthrough.

Steve Little demonstrated something equally impressive: how to automate genealogy tasks by chaining together different AI capabilities.

He showed a clever technique using the @ symbol in ChatGPT to connect different steps of the research process.

This means you can extract information from documents, transform it into different formats, and create narratives from raw data – all without the tedious copying and pasting between steps.

Advanced Techniques That Will Transform Your Research

Blaine Bettinger demonstrated a revolutionary approach to analyzing DNA matches using AI.

Instead of manually comparing multiple family trees – a process we all know can be mind-numbing – he showed how AI can quickly identify common surnames and spot patterns that might indicate shared ancestors.

The time savings are incredible, but more importantly, this approach helps catch connections you might otherwise miss.

Mark Thompson revealed a genius method for cleaning up messy genealogical data. You know those frustrating situations where you find valuable information on a website, but it’s in a format that’s impossible to work with? He showed how to take that unstructured information and transform it into clean, organized spreadsheets perfect for analysis.

The Future of Genealogy Research

The panel painted an exciting picture of where genealogy is heading. We’re looking at more sophisticated DNA analysis tools, better handwriting recognition for old documents, and smarter ways to organize and analyze research data.

But perhaps most exciting is the potential for breaking through those stubborn brick walls that every genealogist faces.

Time-Sensitive Opportunity You Can’t Miss!

Here’s the exciting part: you can watch this groundbreaking webinar right now, completely free.

But don’t wait – this free access is only available for a limited time. Head over to Legacy Family Tree Webinars to watch it now.

This webinar is just the beginning. Legacy Family Tree Webinars is launching an entire series focused on AI for genealogists throughout 2025.

They’re also introducing Blaine Bettinger’s updated Foundation in DNA series and bringing the Genealogy Guys’ content to their platform.

Your Next Steps

The time to embrace these new tools is now. Start by watching the webinar while it’s still free. Then join the “Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence” Facebook group to continue learning from others in the community.

Begin experimenting with ChatGPT using your own research, starting small and building your confidence over time.

The Bottom Line

AI isn’t replacing good genealogy practices – it’s supercharging them. It’s giving us tools to do what we already love – discovering our family stories – even better and faster than before. The future of genealogy is here, and it’s more exciting than ever. The only question is: are you ready to take advantage of these powerful new tools?

This webinar was presented by Legacy Family Tree Webinars, a pioneer in online genealogy education. For over a decade, they’ve been bringing top-notch genealogy education right to your home computer. Their vision is to educate, entertain, and inspire genealogists everywhere to gain new insights, find new resources, and make new discoveries about their family history.