I've always been a multi-tasker and I love having a tiny computer (aka iPhone) with me at all times. If I'm waiting anywhere, in an airport, in line at the bank, or even getting an oil change, I will use my phone to learn more about my ancestors using FamilySearch and AI. Here is my method and opinions on the two AI apps I primarily use.
Recently, I compiled two AI biographies on my ancestor, Adam Weaver, using both Claude Fable/Sonnet 5 and ChatGPT Plus. I have already used both FamilySearch Full Text AI and Simple Search to fill in Adam Weaver's FamilySearch Sources page as much as I could. This isn't going to work if there aren't many sources listed for the ancestors so try this out on one who has several sources listed. Adam Weaver has 26 sources and I attached all 26 thanks to Full Text and Simple Search.
Step 1: Open FamilySearch and navigate to the ancestor you wish to create a bio for and click "Sources". Starting with the first source, click the hyperlink under the heading "Web Page".
Step 2: A photo of the document will pop up. Click the "Download" icon and then the radio button by "JPG" only.
The photo should download to your phone's camera roll.
Step 3: Click the icon in the upper right corner, it is an "i" in a circle for "information" and then scroll down and click the "copy" icon on the right of the Citation". A box will pop up confirming that the Citation has been added to the clipboard.
Step 4: Open the AI app you wish to use - I can only comment on ChatGPT Plus and Claude as those are the only ones I have used, and then add the downloaded record and ask it to transcribe the information for a biography on (ancestor name) and paste in the record source for the bibliography. Repeat for each source.
AI apps will do different things for the biography: ChatGPT Plus will go in search of other sources. Claude Fable 5 will analyze the and sometimes interpret the 18th century lingo. Both do a fairly adept job at transcribing. I do still proofread as recommended by the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy.
Caveat - remember to watch your usage when using Claude. High-powered models like Fable 5 and Opus use more tokens up than lower powered models like Sonnet. I toggle back and forth between Fable and Sonnet depending on the task. There are tips for saving your usage, and I have not yet hit any usage limits with ChatGPT Plus. Also, Claude has a 100 image per chat limit so check how many images you have before starting. Both my ChatGPT and Claude now have memory enabled so they can "remember" past chats and I have grouped my Weaver family chats into "Groups" and "Projects". The AI apps will notice things you might have missed. If you discover any useful tips related to this method, feel free to share in the comments section.
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