You CAN use ChatGPT for genealogy (with accuracy)! Here's how

Genealogy with Amy Johnson Crow
27 Jun 202312:51
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script discusses the surprising utility of AI, specifically Chat GPT, in genealogy research despite common misconceptions. It clarifies that AI is already integrated into everyday tools like Google search suggestions and FamilySearch's analysis features. Chat GPT, standing for generative pre-trained transformer, operates on large language models to predict and generate responses based on patterns in vast datasets. It is not a search engine or fact-checker but can be a powerful tool for idea generation and data transformation when given proper context and specific prompts. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not treating Chat GPT as a source of verified facts without inputting accurate information first. They demonstrate how providing Chat GPT with specific details can yield a draft biography or a structured table from a text, saving time and offering a starting point for further research and refinement. The video encourages genealogists to explore AI tools to enhance their research methods.

Takeaways
  • 🧠 AI, or artificial intelligence, is a field that combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving.
  • 🔍 People might already be using AI in genealogy research without realizing it, such as with predictive text on Google searches.
  • 👪 FamilySearch and Ancestry use AI to analyze family trees and identify potential missing family members or obituaries in newspaper archives.
  • 💡 Chat GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a language model that generates responses based on patterns in large datasets of text.
  • 🚫 Chat GPT is not a search engine or a fact-checker, and it should not be used as a substitute for verified information.
  • 💼 A common mistake is treating Chat GPT like a search engine, which leads to incorrect expectations and potentially inaccurate results.
  • 📝 Good prompts for Chat GPT are those that involve language, concepts, and transformations rather than direct fact-finding.
  • 🤖 Chat GPT can be useful for idea generation, such as creating a list of activities for a family reunion.
  • 📜 When using Chat GPT to create content like biographies, providing specific details and context will yield more accurate and useful results.
  • 🧐 Chat GPT can transform and organize data, such as converting a text into a structured table with specified columns.
  • ✍️ The more specific and detailed the instructions given to Chat GPT, the better the output will be, making it a powerful tool for first drafts and data organization.
  • 🌟 The potential of tools like Chat GPT, Bard, or Bing Chat in genealogy research is vast and largely untapped, offering new ways to discover and organize family history.
Q & A

  • What is the definition of AI or artificial intelligence according to IBM?

    -AI or artificial intelligence is a field which combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem solving.

  • How does Google use AI in its search functionality?

    -Google uses AI to predict and suggest possible search queries as you start typing, which is a form of AI.

  • How does FamilySearch utilize AI in its platform?

    -FamilySearch uses AI to analyze profiles in the family tree and provide research help by suggesting potential missing children based on the typical spacing of children in a given time period and location.

  • What is one way Ancestry uses AI in its services?

    -Ancestry uses AI to analyze language in individual articles on newspaper.com to identify obituaries by looking for specific words commonly associated with obituaries.

  • What does GPT stand for in the context of Chat GPT?

    -GPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer, which describes the technology's ability to generate text based on a large dataset of language patterns.

  • Why is it incorrect to treat Chat GPT like a search engine?

    -Chat GPT is not designed to scour the web for current facts; instead, it generates responses based on language patterns in its training set, making it unsuitable for fact-checking or searching for up-to-date information.

  • How can genealogists use Chat GPT to help with their research?

    -Genealogists can use Chat GPT for idea generation, drafting biographies, and transforming data into structured formats like tables, but they must provide specific details and context to ensure accuracy.

  • What is a common mistake people make when using Chat GPT?

    -A common mistake is treating Chat GPT like a search engine and expecting it to find and synthesize current facts from the web, which it is not designed to do.

  • Why might Chat GPT generate incorrect information about a person's biography when given a name with no context?

    -Chat GPT generates text based on language patterns in its training set. Without context, it cannot verify facts and may create a biography that fits general patterns but contains incorrect information.

  • How can providing more specific details to Chat GPT improve the quality of its responses?

    -The more specific details and context provided to Chat GPT, the better it can generate responses that fit the desired pattern and context, leading to more accurate and relevant information.

  • What is the significance of the 'transformer' aspect of GPT when it comes to genealogy research?

    -The 'transformer' aspect allows Chat GPT to take a block of text and reformat it into a different structure, such as creating a table from an article, which can save time and simplify data analysis in genealogy research.

  • What is the potential of tools like Chat GPT, Bard, or Bing Chat for genealogy research?

    -These tools have the potential to greatly assist in genealogy research by generating ideas, drafting documents, and transforming data into more usable formats, but their effectiveness depends on the quality and specificity of the prompts given to them.

Outlines
00:00
😀 Understanding AI in Genealogy Research

The first paragraph introduces the concept of using artificial intelligence (AI) in genealogy research, dispelling fears of AI leading to disastrous results. It explains that AI is a field combining computer science and datasets to solve problems. The speaker points out that people might already be using AI without realizing it, such as predictive text on Google or FamilySearch's analysis of family trees. Ancestry's use of AI in providing hints and analyzing language in newspaper articles is also mentioned. Chat GPT is introduced as a text-based AI tool that uses a large language model to generate responses based on patterns in language, rather than performing searches or fact-checking.

05:05
🧐 Using Chat GPT for Genealogy: Dos and Don'ts

The second paragraph discusses the misuse of Chat GPT as a search engine or fact checker. It emphasizes that Chat GPT is designed to generate responses based on language patterns rather than factual accuracy. The speaker shares an example of a lawyer who incorrectly used Chat GPT to generate a legal brief. The paragraph also provides tips on how to use Chat GPT effectively in genealogy, such as testing it with known data or easy questions, and avoiding prompts that would be better suited for a search engine. The importance of providing context to Chat GPT is highlighted, with an example of generating a biography for an ancestor with and without context.

10:08
📝 Editing and Transforming Data with Chat GPT

The third paragraph focuses on how to use Chat GPT to create a first draft of a biography and how to transform data into a structured format. The speaker demonstrates the process of providing Chat GPT with specific facts to generate a biography, noting that while it may require editing, the factual accuracy is ensured because the user provides the context. Additionally, the paragraph shows how Chat GPT can be used to transform a newspaper article into a table format, organizing information about individuals affected by a mine explosion. The speaker concludes by encouraging genealogists to explore the potential of AI tools like Chat GPT, Bard, or Bing Chat in their research.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is an overarching field that combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving. In the context of the video, AI is used to enhance genealogy research by providing insights and automating certain tasks. An example given is the predictive text feature when typing a search into Google, which is a form of AI.
💡Genealogy Research
Genealogy research is the study of one's ancestry and family history. The video discusses how AI can be successfully integrated into this field to assist with tasks such as analyzing family trees and generating biographies. It emphasizes the importance of accuracy in genealogy and how AI tools can be used effectively while maintaining this accuracy.
💡Large Language Model
A large language model is a type of AI that processes vast amounts of text data to understand and replicate language patterns. Chat GPT, a tool mentioned in the video, is built on such a model. It uses this understanding to generate responses that fit the context of a given prompt, which is crucial for tasks like creating biographies or transforming text into tables.
💡Chat GPT
Chat GPT is a text-based AI tool that interacts with users by generating responses to prompts. It stands for 'generative pre-trained transformer'. The video explains that Chat GPT is not a search engine or a fact-checker but rather a tool for generating language-based content. It is used in the video to create a biography of an ancestor and to organize information from a newspaper article into a table.
💡Fact Checking
Fact checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of information. The video emphasizes that while AI tools like Chat GPT can generate language that makes sense contextually, they are not designed for fact-checking. Users must provide accurate context and details for the AI to generate factually correct responses, especially in genealogy research where accuracy is paramount.
💡FamilySearch
FamilySearch is a genealogy platform that uses AI to assist users in their research. The video provides an example of how FamilySearch might use AI to suggest potential missing children in a family tree based on the typical spacing of children's births during a specific time period and location.
💡Ancestry
Ancestry is another genealogy service that employs AI in various ways, including providing hints for family trees and analyzing language to identify obituaries in newspaper archives. The video highlights how AI can streamline the process of identifying relevant articles, thus aiding in the collection of family history data.
💡Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Natural Language Processing is a branch of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human languages. It's used in tools like Chat GPT to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a way that is both contextually relevant and coherent. The video demonstrates how NLP can be used to transform text into structured information, such as creating tables from articles.
💡Prompt
In the context of AI tools like Chat GPT, a prompt is the initial input or question provided by a user to elicit a response from the AI. The video stresses the importance of crafting effective prompts that provide sufficient context for the AI to generate accurate and relevant responses. It contrasts this with using a search engine like Google, which is designed for different types of queries.
💡Biography
A biography is a detailed description of a person's life. The video showcases how AI can be used to generate a first draft of a biography by providing it with specific facts about an individual. This allows for a time-efficient creation of a biographical sketch, which can then be refined and edited by the user for accuracy and personalization.
💡Data Set
A data set refers to a collection of data, often used in AI for training models to recognize patterns and make predictions. In the case of Chat GPT, the data set consists of billions of web pages that the model uses to understand language patterns and generate responses. The video illustrates how the AI's understanding of language is based on the analysis of such large data sets.
Highlights

AI can be successfully used in genealogy research despite horror stories of disastrous results.

AI is a field that combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem solving.

Many people unknowingly use AI in genealogy, such as Google's search suggestions and FamilySearch's profile analysis.

Ancestry uses AI for hints and newspaper obituary indexing by analyzing language patterns.

Chat GPT is a text-based AI that uses a large language model to generate responses based on patterns in a training set.

Chat GPT is not a search engine or fact checker, but rather a tool for generating language based on context.

Mistakenly treating Chat GPT like a search engine is a common error that can lead to inaccurate results.

Good Chat GPT prompts are based on language, concepts and transforming information, rather than factual queries.

Chat GPT can be useful for idea generation, such as compiling a list of activities for a family reunion.

Chat GPT can fabricate biographies when given no context, but performs better when provided with specific facts.

Editing a Chat GPT-generated draft allows for a high-quality final product with accurate facts.

Chat GPT can transform and organize data, as demonstrated by creating a table from a newspaper article.

The potential of AI tools like Chat GPT, Bard and Bing Chat in genealogy research is just beginning to be explored.

AI can save time and provide valuable insights when used properly in genealogy, complementing traditional research methods.

Genealogists should test new AI tools with known data or easy questions to evaluate their accuracy and usefulness.

AI can help genealogists make discoveries by generating ideas, organizing data, and providing drafts to be refined.

Transcripts

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AI GenealogyChat GPTFamilySearchAncestry HintsLanguage ModelFact CheckingGenealogy ResearchBiography DraftData ParsingFamily HistoryTech Innovation