EP39: 2026 Predictions for Family History AI, Platform Apps, Handwritten Text Recognition, AI-Enhanced Research, AI-Browsers, and so much more!
About this episode
Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss their predictions for the impact of AI on genealogy research in 2026.
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 genealogy practice, with AI-enhanced apps like NotebookLM becoming more important than the underlying language models that people have focused on for the past three years. They explore how handwritten text recognition will become more accurate and accessible, and that genealogy companies will cautiously integrate new AI features, first focusing on helping us with our research. Timestamps: 02:33 Family History AI Goes Mainstream: From Enthusiasts to Everyday Users 04:13 Apps Over Models: Why Platform Features Matter More Than LLMs 06:17 Reusable Prompting Tools: GPTs, Projects, and Gems Boost Efficiency 08:02 AI-Enhanced Research Gains Acceptance Among Serious Genealogists 09:53 Handwritten Text Recognition Gets Better, Easier, and Cheaper 12:18 Genealogy Companies Take Cautious Approach to Generative AI 17:07 AI-Enhanced Browsers Become…
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