EP42: Summer Model Releases, Desktop Apps, AI Hacking Spree, and Handwriting Transcription

EP42: Summer Model Releases, Desktop Apps, AI Hacking Spree, and Handwriting Transcription

From The Family History AI Show by Mark Thompson and Steve Little

August 16, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss recent developments in artificial intelligence, including new model releases and applications, while also addressing the implications for genealogy.

Description Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little return from institute season to unpack a summer that reshaped the artificial intelligence landscape, beginning with the new model families from OpenAI and Anthropic and how to choose among them. The hosts then examine desktop artificial intelligence applications, which read and write files directly in a folder on your own computer, followed by Mark’s Tip of the Week on connecting ChatGPT Desktop to Excel to update one of his complex spreadsheets. In RapidFire, the hosts cover the hacking spree that both OpenAI and Anthropic disclosed this summer, models solving mathematical problems that stumped researchers for decades, and handwritten text recognition finally crossing the line into everyday usefulness. The through line in today’s episode is the shrinking list of things artificial intelligence cannot do, and what that might mean for genealogy. This episode is sponsored by the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference The East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference is one of the best places in the world for advanced genetic genealogists to learn how the newest advances in genetic genealogy can improve their family history research…

Sponsors

East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference

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