Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy
Brian
Publishing Details
Contact & Outreach
About This Podcast
Stuck on a family history brick wall? It's time to add the most powerful tool to your genealogy toolkit: Artificial Intelligence. Welcome to Ancestors and Algorithms, the definitive guide to revolutionizing your family tree research with AI.
Forget the hype and confusion. This isn't just another podcast about AI; this is your hands-on, step-by-step masterclass using AI. Each week, host and researcher Brian demystifies the technology and shows you exactly how to apply AI tools to find ancestors, analyze records, and solve your toughest genealogy puzzles.
We explore the incredible promise of AI while navigating its perils with an honest, practical approach. Learn to use AI as your personal research assistant—not a replacement for your own critical thinking.
Join us to learn how to:
- Break through brick walls using AI-driven analysis and data correlation.
- Transcribe old, hard-to-read documents, letters, and census records in minutes.
- Use ChatGPT, Gemini, and other Generative AI to draft biographies, summarize findings, and organize your research.
- Analyze DNA matches and historical records to uncover hidden family connections.
- Master prompts that get you accurate results and avoid AI "hallucinations."
- Discover the latest AI tech and digital tools for genealogists before anyone else.
Whether you're a beginner genealogist or a seasoned family historian, if you're ready to upgrade your research skills, this podcast is for you. Hit Follow now and turn AI into your ultimate secret weapon for uncovering your ancestry.
Podcasting 2.0 Features
Explore Statistics
Recent Episodes
S1E41 Ep. 41: Tracing Enslaved Ancestors with AI | Using Perplexity, Claude, NotebookLM, and ChatGPT to Navigate the 1870 Wall
Brian uses 4 AI tools to trace a formerly enslaved Mississippi ancestor across 6 record collections and through the 1870 Wall. This is what African American genealogy research looks like when AI and…
S1E40 Ep. 40: Seven Heirs - How AI Decodes a Tennessee Probate Mystery
You've found the estate settlement. You've counted the heirs in the distribution sheet. And the math doesn't add up.Nine children appear in the 1860 census. Seven names appear in the 1874 settlement.…
S1E39 Ep. 39: Norwegian Genealogy - AI Solves the Patronymic Mystery
If you can't find your Norwegian ancestor in genealogy records, the problem is almost certainly the name. Norway used a patronymic naming system until 1923, meaning most Norwegian-Americans carried…
S1E38 Ep. 38: The Research Map - How AI Finds the Records You're Missing
Most genealogists search 4-6 databases and miss 70% of the records that exist for their ancestor. In this episode, we fix that.If you have ever searched Ancestry, FamilySearch, and a couple of other…
S1E37 Ep. 37: What Grandma Never Said - Using AI to Uncover Hidden Ancestors in Census Records
Every family has a story that got quietly handed down across the generations. A birthplace. A number of children. One marriage, one life, neatly summarized. But what happens when you sit down with…
S1E36 Ep. 36: The Highland Line - Tracing Scottish Ancestors with AI
If you have Scottish Highland ancestry and your family tree hits a wall before 1855, this episode was made for you.In Episode 36 of Ancestors and Algorithms, Brian traces a MacLeod family from the…
S1E35 Ep. 35: How AI Resolves Conflicting Evidence for Immigrant Ancestors
Three records. Three completely different birthplace answers. A German Lutheran church register from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania says New York. The 1880 US Federal Census says Germany. A…
S1E34 Ep. 34: How to Use Claude, Perplexity, ChatGPT & Gemini to Find a California Gold Rush Ancestor
Your ancestor went to California in 1849 as a forty-niner. The family says he struck it rich. But when you search the mining records for his name? Nothing. No claim. No miner's registration. No…
S1E33 Ep. 33: FAN Club Method + AI - Find Ancestors Through Their Neighbors
If you have a brick wall ancestor with a common name; a William Harrison, a Mary Smith, a John Thomas this episode will change how you research forever.In Episode 33 of Ancestors and Algorithms, host…
S1E32 Ep. 32: Tracing Irish Ancestors With AI
"All the Irish records burned." Every genealogist with Irish ancestry has heard this warning and most have believed it long enough to stop searching. In Episode 32 of Ancestors and Algorithms, host…
S1E31 Ep. 31: The Homestead Claim That Vanished | AI-Assisted Homestead and Land Record Research
What happens when your ancestor filed a homestead claim, worked the land for a decade, and then vanished from every surviving record?In Episode 31 of Ancestors and Algorithms, Brian follows the trail…
S1E30 Ep. 30: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude & NotebookLM Meet the Genealogical Proof Standard
Every genealogist eventually asks the same questions. How do you know when you have enough evidence? How do you decide which record to trust when two documents disagree? How do you turn years of…
S1E29 Ep. 29: How to Find Ancestors in Historical Newspapers Using AI
Have you ever searched for an ancestor in a newspaper database and found nothing, even though you were certain the information had to be there? You are not searching wrong. You are searching with the…
S1E28 Ep. 28: Italian Ancestor Name Changes | Connected an Ellis Island Immigrant to His Naples Birth Record
He arrived at Ellis Island in 1912 as Salvatore Maranzano. He reappeared in the 1920 Census as Samuel Martin. Eight years of silence in between, and three years of searching by his granddaughter had…
S1E27 Ep. 27: AI Tools for African American Genealogy and the 1870 Brick Wall
For millions of African American families, the search for ancestors hits a wall at 1870. Before that year, the federal census did not list enslaved people by name. They appeared only as ages and…
S1E26 Ep. 26: Genealogy + DNA | How to Use Artificial Intelligence Safely for DNA Research
If you have been sitting on a pile of DNA matches with no idea how to make sense of them, this episode was made for you.Episode 26 of Ancestors and Algorithms tackles one of the most requested topics…
S1E25 Ep. 25:: Tracking Australian Ancestors Using AI | International Genealogy Research
Discover how to find Australian convict ancestors and track family across international borders using free AI tools. Perfect for genealogists researching British, Irish, Scottish, or Australian…
S1E24 Ep. 24: How to Use Google NotebookLM for Family History Research | Free AI Tool Tutorial
Have you ever stared at a stack of genealogy documents knowing the answers are there, but unable to find them? That was me with a 47-page probate file from 1892. Three years I avoided it. Then I…
S1E23 Ep. 23: Writing Ancestor Biographies with AI | Free ChatGPT Tutorial
Learn how to transform dry genealogy facts into compelling ancestor biographies using free AI tools. This complete AI writing tutorial teaches genealogists step-by-step how to use Claude, Perplexity,…
S1E22 Ep. 22: Solving Multiple Same-Name Ancestors in English Parish Records Using AI | UK Genealogy
Three John Smiths. Same parish. Same occupation. All married to women named Mary. Which one is YOUR ancestor?If you research English or UK family history, you've hit this genealogy brick wall:…
Frequently Asked Questions
Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy has published 46 episodes since August 2025, covering topics in History, Society & Culture.
Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 30m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy, including email and social media links.
Similar Podcasts
Fighter Pilot Podcast
Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, Retired U.S. Air Force Fighter Test Pilot
343 episodes
Hyperfixed
Alex Goldman & Radiotopia
47 episodes
Hyperfixed
Alex Goldman & Radiotopia
47 episodes
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll
Rubrik | Nicole Perlroth | Pod People
14 episodes
Podouken
Laser Time
165 episodes
Pynchon Pals
Pynchon Pals
19 episodes