Best Mark Thompson and Steve Little Podcasts (2025)

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EP39: 2026 Predictions for Family History AI, Platform Apps, Handwritten Text Recognition, AI-Enhanced Research, AI-Browsers, and so much more! 49:45

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7d ago49:45

49:45

In the last episode of 2025, Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present their predictions for how artificial intelligence will transform genealogy research in 2026. This special episode examines fourteen key trends shaping the future of family history AI. Mark and Steve predict that AI tools will move from enthusiast circles into mainstream ge…

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EP38: 2025 Year in Review, A Look Back at Our 2025 AI Predictions, The Reasoning Revolution 56:26

1h ago56:26

56:26

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present a special year-end episode, comparing their 2025 AI predictions to what actually unfolded in 2025. This episode is a great review of the top AI advancements in 2025! The hosts examine which predictions hit the mark, including the agentic AI hype cycle, plummeting AI costs driven by DeepSeek, and the d…

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EP37: Google Gemini 3 Released, ChatGPT 5.1 Upgrades, How Reasoning Improves Transcriptions, Canva AI Image Generation 1:00:12

18d ago1:00:12

1:00:12

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine Google's groundbreaking Gemini 3 release, which delivers state-of-the-art multimodal reasoning and sets a new benchmark for AI capabilities. They also explore ChatGPT's upgrade to version 5.1 with improved instruction following and better handling of longer conversation. The hosts discuss Canva's new …

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The Genealogy Guy introduces "Walk & Talk Genealogy" - The Big Move 6:40

23d ago6:40

6:40

Mell, the host of the "Armchair Genealogy" podcast, discusses the challenges of recording episodes while relocating to the other side of the world. He introduces a new format, "Walk and Talk Genealogy," He emphasises the importance of capturing family memories through oral histories, suggesting that any time is good to interview relatives. He advis…

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EP36: Browser Wars Heat Up, What AI Can Learn from AOL, Anthropic's Speedy New AI Model, Simple Path to Better Prompts 1:13:01

1M ago1:13:01

1:13:01

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how new AI browsers are changing how genealogists research. They compare OpenAI's Atlas, Microsoft Edge, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity's Comet, explaining which features help family historians most. The hosts share lessons from the early AOL era that can be applied to the AI era. They also explore A…

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When AI tries to be a podcaster? 27:04

2M ago27:04

27:04

Have you ever wondered what happens when ai tries to make a genealogy podcast? 🤖📜 in this episode of the armchair genealogy podcast, the Genealogy Guy puts it to the test! The AI was fed beginner guides to genealogy and produced a full 25-minute show. Together we dive into the basics—starting with your own family stories, then moving through census…

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EP35: Nano Banana Comes to Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects Now Free, Citation Best Practices for Nano Banana, Sora 2 Goes Social, Claude Writes MS Office Documents 49:29

2M ago49:29

49:29

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how Google's Nano Banana photo restoration tool will revolutionize image restoration by integrating with Adobe Photoshop. This move will greatly reduce unintended changes to historical photos when editing them with AI. Next, they unpack OpenAI’s move to make ChatGPT Projects available to free-tier use…

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Genealogist Kelly Cornwell chats with the Genealogy Guy about research tips 34:36

3M ago34:36

34:36

By Armchair Genealogy

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EP34: 2025 Mid-Year AI Review, FamilySearch Full-Text Goes Live, Nano Banana Photo Restoration Tips, AI's Environmental Impact 1:17:07

3M ago1:17:07

1:17:07

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little review the biggest AI breakthroughs of 2025 so far, from DeepSeek's open-source revolution to GPT-5's unified reasoning model. Mark and Steve also celebrate FamilySearch's Full-Text Search moving from experimental labs to the main website, covering 1.4 billion records across 4,300 collections plus new summari…

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EP33: ChatGPT 5 Aftermath, Nano Banana Image Revolution, Save Time with AI Citations, Anthropic Changes its Stance on Chat Privacy, The AI Browser Wars Heat Up 1:05:49

3M ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little return from summer break to discuss the mixed reception of ChatGPT 5 and how OpenAI responded to user feedback. They explore Google's game-changing Nano Banana (Gemini Flash Image) model that revolutionizes selective image editing, reigniting debates about AI photo restoration in genealogy. This week's Tip of…

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Ruth Wilmore, Events and Education Manager at the Society of Genealogists (SOG),. 29:30

4M ago29:30

29:30

Ruth Wilmore, Events and Education Manager at the Society of Genealogists (SOG), shares her genealogy journey, with the Genealogy Guy, sparked by a childhood book and a 200-year-old mourning ring. And discusses the great work going on at Society of Genealogists.By Armchair Genealogy

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EP32: ChatGPT-5 Arrives, Study Mode for ChatGPT, Claude 4.1 Upgrade, OpenAI Goes Open Source, Earnings Season Good for Big AI, Google Loses Another Monopoly Appeal 1:02:07

4M ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the groundbreaking release of ChatGPT-5, which arrived after over a year of anticipation. They discuss how this new model transforms the AI landscape with better reasoning, larger context windows, and dramatically reduced hallucinations. The hosts examine OpenAI's new Study and Learn Mode, which acts …

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EP31: Special Episode - ChatGPT-5 Finally Drops with Big Improvements for Genealogists 24:03

5M ago24:03

24:03

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little deliver a special same-day episode covering the long-awaited release of ChatGPT-5, which launched today, August 7, 2025. They explore the most significant improvements in the upgrade for genealogists, including automated model selection that eliminates confusing settings for beginners, enhanced reasoning capa…

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EP30: ChatGPT Agent Can Research For You, Security In The Age of AI, What AI Is Good For, AI Office Suite Wars Heat Up 1:10:27

5M ago1:10:27

1:10:27

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's groundbreaking ChatGPT Agent, demonstrating how this autonomous tool can research, analyze, and perform complex tasks on your behalf. Next, they address important security concerns to consider in the new world of AI agents, introducing practical guidelines for protecting sensitive family data…

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Dave Annal chats with the Genealogy Guy about researching your family tree 34:36

5M ago34:36

34:36

In this episode on armchair genealogy, Dave Annal from Lifelines Research shares why real research still matters. We talk dodgy digital records, the dangers of ai in history, and how reconstructing a family properly can reveal the truth behind the names. 👂perfect for beginners & seasoned researchers alike — with tips, stories, and a few rants about…

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EP29: Perplexity's Comet Browser Revolutionizes Research, Grok 4 Released, Context is King, Google’s Video Generator Gets an Upgrade, ChatGPT Agent Launches 1:06:51

5M ago1:06:51

1:06:51

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Perplexity's groundbreaking Comet browser, which brings AI directly to web pages and can autonomously navigate sites to collect genealogical data. They examine Grok 4's impressive benchmark performance while discussing its limitations for genealogical research and safety concerns. This week's Tip of t…

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EP28: AI-Based Transcriptions Transform Genealogy, FamilySearch Interview with David Ouimette, Grok 4's Anticipated Release, Apple Changes Its AI Strategy 1:02:04

5M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how AI-based transcriptions are revolutionizing genealogical research across the industry. They examine FamilySearch's Full-Text Search expansion to over 1.25 billion records and Ancestry's new document transcription tool. The episode features an exclusive interview with David Ouimette from FamilySear…

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EP27: AI Image Restoration Concerns, Perplexity's Future, Copyright Cases Are Shaping The Future of AI, Project Workspaces Help You Stay Organized 1:13:23

5M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the controversial rise of AI image "restoration" and discuss how entirely new images are being generated, rather than the original photos being restored. This is raising concerns about the preservation of authentic family photos. They discuss Mark's reconsideration of canceling his Perplexity subscrip…

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EP26: Gemini and Claude Updates, RootsTech Panel on Responsible AI, Interview with Jessica Taylor of Legacy Tree Genealogists, ChatGPT 5 Announcement 1:02:12

6M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss recent updates from Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude that are reshaping AI capabilities for genealogists. Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro with its massive context window and Claude 4's hybrid reasoning models that excels at both writing and document analysis. They share insights from the RootsTech panel on …

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Jon Marie Pearson chats with the Genealogy Guy about using social media in Genealogy 28:48

6M ago28:48

28:48

Jon Marie Pearson chats with the Genealogy Guy about using social media in genealogy research. She highlights the importance of virtual communities, sharing personal stories of finding her biological half-brother on Facebook. Jon Marie emphasises the need for genealogists to use keywords in their profiles and actively engage on platforms like Faceb…

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EP25: ChatGPT 4o Transforms Image Generation, Jarrett Ross on AI Facial Recognition, Enhanced Image Analysis with O3 1:08:53

7M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's revolutionary update to ChatGPT 4o's image generation capabilities, which now creates photorealistic images with accurate text and consistent characters across multiple images. They interview Jarrett Ross from The GeneaVlogger YouTube channel, who shares how he uses AI in his business and in …

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Charlie Greene from Remento chats with the Genealogy Guy 30:57

7M ago30:57

30:57

The Genealogy guy chats with Charlie Greene, co-founder of Remento, chats about the inspiration that led to the platform, which helps families capture and preserve stories and memories. Charlie shares his personal experience of digitising home videos to keep his father's memory alive and the emotional impact of recording his mother's stories during…

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Mark Bayley chats with the genealogy Guy about updates on maps @ thegenealogist.co.uk 29:24

8M ago29:24

29:24

Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist.co.uk discusses updates to their Map Explorer section, highlighting the expansion of the Lloyd George Domesday records to include Bedfordshire, Dorset, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Surrey, and Wiltshire, with more counties planned for 2026. He explained the historical context of these records, create…

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Dr. Karen Cummings from Pharos Tutors chats with the Genealogy Guy 31:07

9M ago31:07

31:07

In this episode of Armchair Genealogy, the Genealogy Guy dives into the power of family history shows and why sharpening your research skills is a game-changer. Special guest Dr. Karen Cummings from Pharos Tutors shares her journey from pharmaceutics to genealogy education—proving it’s never too late to follow your passion! Discover how Pharos Tuto…

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Mark Thompson & Steve Little chat about AI with the Genealogy Guy 32:02

10M ago32:02

32:02

The Genealogy Guy discusses the impact of AI on genealogy with Steve Little and Mark Thompson from the Family History AI Show. Mark, a retired technologist, and Steve, a language and technology enthusiast, highlight AI's rapid evolution, particularly with ChatGPT. They emphasize the importance of scepticism and experimentation, noting that AI's acc…

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EP24: DeepSeek AI Shakes The World, FamilySearch Full-Text Turns One, Microsoft and Google Drop AI Prices, Instructional vs. Reasoning Models 54:55

10M ago54:55

54:55

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how DeepSeek has dramatically changed the AI landscape by releasing a powerful, inexpensive, open-source model that challenges American dominance in AI. They celebrate the first anniversary of FamilySearch's Full-Text Search, which has expanded from three collections to three thousand in just one-year…

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EP23: AI Predictions for 2025: Agents, Local Models, Social Media Chatbots, Writing with AI, Costs Keep Dropping 48:10

11M ago48:10

48:10

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little share their predictions for artificial intelligence developments in 2025, with a special focus on how these changes will affect genealogists and family historians. They explore the emergence of AI agents, the shift to running language models locally on personal devices, and the introduction of chatbots to soc…

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Jonny Perl @DNAPainter chats with the Genealogy Guy 28:05

11M ago28:05

28:05

Discover the fascinating story behind dna painter with Jonny Perl, a web developer and genealogist who turned his own dna testing experience into an invaluable tool for family history enthusiasts. In this episode,Jonny shares how dna painter helps users visualize family trees, interpret dna matches, and uncover relationships through powerful featur…

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EP22: The Google Empire Strikes Back: Deep Research Challenges Perplexity, NotebookLM's Big Updates, and Facebook Adds AI to Groups 1:00:51

11M ago1:00:51

1:00:51

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Google's powerful end-of-year releases that challenge other AI platforms. They examine Google's Deep Research tool and its ability to quickly create comprehensive research reports by combining information from multiple sources. Next, they discuss Facebook's controversial introduction of AI assistants …

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EP21: 12 Days of OpenAI Deep Dive, ChatGPT Canvas Easier to Use, Voice & Vision Unite in ChatGPTs mobile apps, Tips for Free AI Tools 53:20

12M ago53:20

53:20

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" campaign, particularly focusing on their new reasoning models and the expanded availability of Canvas across all ChatGPT models. They examine how ChatGPT's new camera view in Advanced Voice Mode transforms mobile research capabilities, demonstrating real-world applications…

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Donna Rutherford gives insight into using DNA with the Genealogy Guy 29:40

12M ago29:40

29:40

Donna Rutherford chats with the Genealogy Guy on Armchair Genealogy Podcast about the basics of genealogy and DNA, emphasizing the importance of understanding DNA matches and ethnicity estimates. She explains that DNA tests provide ethnicity estimates based on reference panels and that different companies use varying algorithms. Rutherford advises …

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EP20: Top AI Tools Worth Paying For in 2025, AI Tools Not Worth Paying For, 12 Days of OpenAI Begins, Use AI Hallucinations to Your Advantage 1:06:47

12M ago1:06:47

1:06:47

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little reveal their top recommendations for AI tools worth paying for in 2025. They also discuss which AI tools aren't worth paying for in 2025. One of them might surprise you! Next, Mark and Steve begin their review of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" announcements, beginning with the release of their enhanced O1 reaso…

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EP19: 2024's Top 5 AI Genealogy Breakthroughs, MyHeritage LiveMemory Goes Viral, The Bluesky Migration 52:16

1y ago52:16

52:16

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the AI developments that had the biggest impact on genealogy in 2024. This week’s episode spotlights MyHeritage's newest viral tool, LiveMemory, which brings old photos to life through animation. Next, Mark and Steve count down the year's top AI breakthroughs for genealogists. The groundbreaking Famil…

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Laura House, genetic genealogist @Ancestry chats with the Genealogy Guy 31:03

1y ago31:03

31:03

What secrets might your dna hold? Laura House, a genetic genealogist at Ancestry, joins Genealogy Guy on armchair genealogy. In this insightful conversation, Laura reveals the unexpected twists and turns that can unfold when using genealogy DNA tests. She urges listeners to be aware of the potential surprises that may arise, such as finding out abo…

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EP18: Claude Improves AI Writing, ChatGPT Desktop Apps Arrive, OpenAI Joins AI-Enhanced Search Race, Apple Begins AI Rollout, Meta Brings Reuter’s News to Facebook 44:23

1y ago44:23

44:23

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet upgrade has made Claude an even better AI writer. This make's it even easier to write a great research report. They move on to explore OpenAI's new desktop apps and Advanced Voice Mode, discussing how voice interaction could transform genealogical research, particular…

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EP17: AI Writing Gets Easier with OpenAI’s New Canvas Feature, Chatbots Try to Replace Traditional Software, Privacy Protection and AI, Big NotebookLM Updates 53:35

1y ago53:35

53:35

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine OpenAI's new Canvas feature, demonstrating how this split-screen interface revolutionizes document creation and editing for genealogists. Locality guides and research reports are used as practical examples. They explore how AI platforms like Canvas and Perplexity Spaces are challenging traditional sof…

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Dr. Nicholas Dixon chat with the Genealogy Guy about history, academic study and genealogy 27:54

1y ago27:54

27:54

Dr. Nicholas Dixon emphasises the collaborative nature of the genealogy community and the willingness of professionals to help each other. He highlights the unique angle of bringing academic history to genealogy, which is not common in the academic world. He also highlights the role of local family history societies in sharing knowledge and resourc…

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EP16: Genetic Genealogy Conference Roundup, Open AI Launches Canvas, AI Disclosure, Google Photos Goes AI, Nobel Prizes Focus on AI 59:15

1y ago59:15

59:15

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little recap their experiences at the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference last week, highlighting Dana Leeds' innovative use of AI for efficiently created charts using the Leeds Method. They then explore OpenAI's new Canvas feature, comparing it to Claude's Artifacts, and discuss its potential for genealogical r…

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EP15: Talking with Your Chatbot is Now a Reality, FamilySearch Adds Canadian Records to Full-Text Search, & new Responsible AI Use Series Begins 53:07

1y ago53:07

53:07

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little are excited to share OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode, which enables natural conversations with AI, and how FamilySearch's expanded full-text Search is revolutionizing records accessibility. They stress responsible AI use throughout this week's episode, introducing a new series on verifying the accuracy of AI-gen…

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Helen Forster chats about Digital legacies 33:45

1y ago33:45

33:45

Helen Forster, a director at HTF Legal Limited, discusses with the Genealogy Guy the importance of digital legacy planning. She highlighted that only 27% of people know what will happen to their digital assets upon death, and only 9% have a clear plan. Digital assets include monetary investments and sentimental items like photos. She emphasized the…

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EP14: Special Episode on ChatGPT's upgrade to o1-Preview, learn how to (almost) get o1-Preview for free. 39:34

1y ago39:34

39:34

In this special edition of the Family History AI Show, co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little do a deep dive into OpenAI's latest release, code-named "Project Strawberry." They explain the new ChatGPT-o1 models, discuss their reasoning capabilities and most importantly, their potential impacts on genealogical research. They also offer practical ad…

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EP13: Gemini (finally!) Supports File Uploads, AI’s Impact on Learning, Gemini Adds Saved Prompts, Build Better Prompts With Examples 54:47

1+ y ago54:47

54:47

In this episode of the Family History AI Show, Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the latest AI news, views and reviews for family historians. They start with Google Gemini's new file upload capabilities and examine AI's impact on genealogy education, offering practical advice for researchers. Then, they discuss the increasing availability of s…

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EP12: Hollywood AI Blunder, AI Image Generator Roundup, Google Lens Saves You Time Researching, Use AI For Translation 57:09

1+ y ago57:09

57:09

Hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little expertly navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape, offering practical insights on leveraging AI for your family history research. Mark and Steve open this episode by discussing lessons that genealogists can learn from Hollywood on the importance of fact-checking. Next, they provide a comprehensive roundup of t…

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Dominic Hendry talks Wills and Probate with The Genealogy Guy 37:29

1+ y ago37:29

37:29

Genealogy Guy and Dominic Hendry from estateresearch.co.uk discuss the intersections of genealogy and legal support services, including probate genealogists, tracing services, and DNA evidence. They emphasise the importance of understanding legal issues in genealogy and accurate inheritance planning to avoid potential disputes. Genealogy Guy highli…

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EP 11: Microsoft Simplifies Research with “Deep Search”, Google Goes All In on AI, Have We Entered the Post-Photography Era? 58:30

1+ y ago58:30

58:30

In this episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss Microsoft's new AI-enhanced search tool, Deep Search. Then, they review Google's major list of AI announcements. In the last big story this week, Mark and Steve talk about how photography has changed in the digital age. Don’t miss this week’s Tip of the Week, where Mark and Steve provide…

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EP10: Ancestry’s New AI Tools, Google Gemini Leaps Ahead, Master AI Extraction, and Google’s Olympic Ad Controversy 48:08

1+ y ago48:08

48:08

Join co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little to explore the latest developments in AI and Family History. This week, they discuss Ancestry's innovative new tool for summarizing key US records. They also review Ancestry’s new AI chatbot that greatly simplifies finding the best support documents. Next, they gawk at Google's impressive Gemini 1.5 Pro …

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EP9: Building Better Prompts, Facebook’s LLM May Benefit Family History, MyHeritage Retires an AI Feature 50:21

1+ y ago50:21

50:21

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the potential benefits of Meta's open-source approach to AI. Next, they discuss MyHeritage's plans to retire an AI feature. Then, they review the AI image generation features recently added to Adobe Illustrator. In this week’s Tip of the Week, they share valuable insights on crafting effective, halluc…

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Cyndi Ingle from Cyndis list.com chat with The Genealogy Guy 25:57

1+ y ago25:57

25:57

Cindy Ingle talks about her creation and maintenance of Cyndislist.com, a comprehensive categorised list of genealogical resources on the internet. The Genealogy Guy and Cyndi emphasise the importance of human curation in genealogical research, Cyndi also highlights the value of delving into the lives of our ancestors beyond basic facts. They also …

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EP8: Save Time by Summarizing, Meta's Game-Changing AI Upgrade, FamilySearch's Summarization Feature, Is the AI Bubble About to Burst? 48:26

1+ y ago48:26

48:26

In this week’s episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Meta AI 3.1's huge large language model upgrade, as well as FamilySearch's innovative, AI-based summarization feature. They then address growing concerns about AI hype. In this week’s Tip of the Week, they share their approach for mastering the fine art of summarization, a crucial…

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EP7: Perplexity Upgrade, AI Ethical Issues, Building Better Prompts, Siri Upgrade Delayed 38:53

1+ y ago38:53

38:53

In this episode, hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little dive into Perplexity's big upgrade, enhancing research capabilities for family historians. They tackle pressing ethical concerns in AI, exploring copyright issues and training data controversies that impact genealogists. The show introduces a new series on building better prompts, offering pract…

Mark Thompson And Steve Little Podcasts