The AI Gold Rush
The AI gold rush will result in a few gold nuggets and a lot of silt.
The storm clouds are clearing.
(It’s a reference to my previous post, The rainbow after the storm.)
I’ve been able to start spending less time doing what I have to do, and more time doing what I want to do. And what I want to do is to continue my genealogy research, write more stories about my family, and learn more about how AI can help me do both.
Contents:
- Do this if nothing else
- The AI gold rush
- What a difference a year makes
- Which AI Tools are best?
- Genealogy and AI
- New AI tools on my radar
- Should we fear AI?
- The AI gold rush is far from over
Do this if nothing else
If you have avoided learning about AI (Artificial Intelligence) while simultaneously fearing that robots are taking over the world — cue Elle Cordova’s clever dystopian campfire song — and if you are reading this post just to humor me, and don’t really even want to finish it very much, please watch this animated video:
Generative AI in a Nutshell – how to survive and thrive in the age of AI
The video’s description is this: “Basically a full day AI course crammed into 18 mins of drawing & talking.” I found it to be an entertaining summary of the AI basics I’ve learned about in the past year. If 18 minutes is too much, skip to 10:50 (The AI Mindset), then 14:53 (Prompt Engineering), and 16:56 (Wrap-Up).
The AI gold rush
AI is not new to genealogy or to any other field of interest. Many AI-backed tools were already available online when ChatGPT and similar “generative” tools were introduced to the public in late 2022. (Whereas applications like Google and Netflix searches are considered “predictive” tools.) The big online genealogy websites have used AI for providing record hints, DNA matches and the tools for analyzing them, and document handwriting recognition, among many other features.
This blog post of mine still works as an introduction to the “chatbot” variety of AI you’ve been hearing so much about:
Just be aware that in the year since I wrote it, there’s been a virtual gold rush to create ever more, and ever better generative AI tools. (I thought I was so clever in applying the term “gold rush” to what has been going on, but if you Google it you’ll see it elsewhere.)
In the past year, thousands of new applications have been created. They’ve been rapidly maturing, splitting, and combining. Most will inevitably fall by the wayside — like rinsing the silt from the pan to reveal the gold nuggets — so it’s hard to know what to pay attention to.
What a difference a year makes
If you haven’t yet, this might be a good time for you to dive in and try some new AI apps, but I can’t say I’d blame you for waiting another year to see what shakes out.
I had intended, a year ago, to write a follow-up post specific to genealogy, but life got in the way and the gold rush took off without me. Maybe it’s just as well because posts about AI go out of date the instant they are published!
Here’s a creepy/funny/scary one-minute video illustrating how far AI has come in one year:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTL4KdQwq/
Which AI Tools are best?
Besides ChatGPT, what else do I recommend? I don’t know because I haven’t had all the time I’d like to try all the tools that interest me. I get overwhelmed too! That’s why I’m grateful to follow others who’ve tried them (on social media, and via their blogs and newsletters).
Here are some of the current best apps and (very briefly) what they’re good for:
And here’s a Facebook post and graphic by my friend D. Allison Lee:
3 ways to dip your toes into the AI water
My favorite source of bite-sized AI info and tips is probably TikTok. That’s where I learned about Goblin.Tools (including Magic ToDo). These tools are described in detail in Julie Bestry’s blog post:
3 Simple But Powerful Productivity Resources — Right in Your Browser Tab
And TikTok is where I learned how teachers are dealing with plagiarism while also incorporating AI into their lesson plans. (Teachers are so creative!)
English 110 Versus Chat GPT — Finding a middle ground with AI usage in the composition classroom
If you don’t already use TikTok, I’m not trying to convert you. But if you’re game, search for the name of a tool you’ve heard about — #ChatGPT, #GoblinTools — or #AI plus a topic that interests you, like #genealogy, #writing, #photos, #health, etc.
Genealogy and AI
If you’re a genealogist check out this terrific (private) Facebook group hosted by DNA rockstar, Blaine T. Bettinger:
Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI). (I’ll call it Gen/AI in the rest of this post. TIP: Before you ask questions there, try searching the group for tools you’ve heard of — to see whether and how they’ve already been discussed — and genealogists whose names you know — to see what they’ve had to say and how long ago it was.)
I have enjoyed following the best and the brightest genealogists (as well as those completely unknown to me) in their quest to learn new AI tools, test how they might be applied to genealogy research, and share their results. I tried a few other AI Facebook groups, but they were mostly students trying to figure out how to get AI to write their papers without getting caught, and arguing with each other. Ugh!
And, of course, it’s not just the tools that get good results, it’s the users. It takes some practice. And it takes knowing which tools are intended to get which results to begin with. As Blaine says: “Don’t use a car to blend your smoothie!” The best way to learn which tools are which is to research and try them.
New AI tools on my radar:
Because genealogy research naturally lends itself to family storytelling — ala my book, What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy — I was excited to learn about this new editing tool. If you still haven’t experimented with ChatGPT, that’s OK. You don’t even need a subscription to ChatGPT to use this tool. And, as with most tools these days, there’s a basic free version to try.
As Carole McCulloch wrote in the Gen/AI group: “I think I can delete my subscription to Quillbot and Grammarly and just keep this one.” Here’s a link to her 6-minute video tutorial about editGPT:
How can AI help with editing and proofreading?
NOTE: I wrote this post all by myself, but I did used editGPT to help me edit and proofread portions of it. (The first thing it tried to change was the capitalization in article and website titles, many of which were not mine to change. Keep in mind that no matter what any editor suggests, the choice is always yours. Don’t blame editGPT for any errors I didn’t check or have allowed to remain!)
In my aforementioned 2023 post about ChatGPT, I wrote (under “Reality Check”) about how ChatGPT’s knowledge cutoff was September 2021, and how it fabricated the names of three books I’d written. It was correct that I’ve written three books, but not those three! Moreover, the ChatGPT titles don’t exist unless in a parallel universe. They sound plausible, though! Since then, newer versions of ChatGPT (and similar chatbots) have more recent knowledge and the industry more kindly refers to made-up facts as “hallucinations” which are always, always, always to be fact-checked by the user.
The idea behind NotebookLM is that you can upload documents to it that you trust, ask questions, and get answers that draw only from the content you provided. Here’s a genealogy-specific examination of NotebookLM by Dana Leeds, another rockstar in the genealogy world:
Exploring Google’s NotebookLM: Potential and Pitfalls for Genealogists
FamilySearch Full Text Search:
FamilySearch is the nonprofit LDS-run website at which you can do research and contribute to a community family tree for free. They have billions of historical records that have been digitized, but only a portion of those record images are currently searchable.
Per FamilySearch: “This test of a full-text search for historical records uses AI to transcribe images into text so they can be fully searched. This feature is meant to save hours previously spent manually reviewing thousands of images for an important piece of information—that can be found almost instantly with an automated search. Over 100 million records from the United States and Mexico are currently available in this experiment. We anticipate adding more collections in the future.”
I’ve tested it a bit, with limited personal results, but I can see it eventually being a wonderful thing. Here is the page for more info on Full Text Search and other tools available for testing:
Should we fear AI?
I came across this article recently:
AI is Corrupting the Internet as We Know It.
Although the title smacks of fearmongering, it’s not wrong, and if you read the article you’ll see why. I think it’s important to understand the potential dangers, and yet, AI is here to stay — especially considering it has already been here in various forms for decades — and I think it has infinite current and potential benefits if we use it wisely. The controversy surrounding AI development echoes the debates around all other previous technological advances throughout history including electricity, automobiles, factories, computers, and the internet itself.
Meanwhile, regarding the AI-generated images in the article, I have seen every one of them before without having joined any of the Facebook groups in which I saw them. Fake National Geographic, Richard Attenborough, and similar sites where people expect to see real nature photos are a problem because the vast majority of followers seem not to have gotten past the first level of recognizing that Nat Geo and Richard A, or his heirs, have nothing to do with those particular accounts.
The article concludes, and I agree: “Who knows where this will lead? Only one thing is certain. AI is here to stay. The question is, can humanity use this amazing technology to do good in the world? AI may hold the key to curing cancer and ending world hunger. In the meantime, we will have to do our best to avoid the negative downside of this technology. We need to ensure that truth always prevails over deception, deceit, and misinformation.”
The AI gold rush is far from over
This might not be my last post about AI, but I will never try to write anything comprehensive or definitive about it because it’s just too vast a topic. It affects every aspect of life that I can think of, and its thousands of applications are constantly changing and evolving.
Debates rage in the creative sectors over AI-generated text and images, and I’m sure things will occasionally go awry here and there. But I also look forward to many of the good things that will come of the developing technology, such as live captioning smart glasses for the hard of hearing.
Have you tried any of the AI tools mentioned here?
Which others have you tried? Do you have a favorite?
Please let us know by leaving a comment below!
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- Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.
- Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror
- What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy
- Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook
- Feel free to link directly to this post! Click here to ask about other uses.
- Copyright 2024 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond
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Oooh, thank you for including my goofy little foray into AI! I love Elle Cordova, so I loved that you included her campfire song, and I’m going to work my way through the Generative AI in a Nutshell, as it may take a few viewings.
But the “Let Him Cook” comparison of AI of a year ago vs. now? Terrifying. I have moderate concern over AI’s use in text, but audio, and especially audio/visual fakery, is beyond terrifying. It will be used for far worse things that Photoshop ever was, to unfairly wreck reputations and topple governments. Eventually, we won’t know who we can trust.
Deb picked the least scary ways to approach AI; creating a meal plan is less likely to prompt anxiety than asking it to make a photo and then you end up with some dude with six fingers! Your list of the AI chatbots (of which I’ve only tried four: ChatGPT, BingAI, Perplexity, and PI) is fun. Pi, which I’ve experimented with and enjoyed, feels somewhat different. It was more like having a conversation without a goal, and it asked some prompting questions, leading me to come up with some interesting ideas for one of the books I want to write. I suspect generative AI will get used in psychology/therapy and brainstorming to greater effect (without causing anxiety) than some of the other purposes.
I’d never thought of using AI to edit/proofread. I’m usually unhappy with tools like Grammarly, which take out necessary commas or suggest grammatical changes that yield changes to context and content. But now I’m eager to see what AI tools might do for me in this arena! And I’m glad you and I discussed NotebookLM before you wrote this post, as I’m all the more eager to check it out in greater depth!
Thanks for helping us dip a toe into the AI world.
I’m glad you liked my post! Thanks for sharing your experience with Pi. I felt the same way you did about Grammarly and another AI tool that’s been around for years, Jasper. (To the point where I didn’t use them.) But the custom prompt aspect of editGPT seems fun and promising.
I have played around with ChatGPT. It’s kind of freaky. It’s nice to try the tools when it doesn’t matter, just to see what they can do. I am interested in editGPT. I think I’ll be exploring that one next, as editing is a regular need for me. I will say that I can see many positive uses for AI, but as with the other technologies you mentioned, there is risk. The whole thing makes me a little queasy to think about.
It’s hard when you can’t trust what you see, and we are definitely there now…
That’s a good point, Seana, about trying the tools when it doesn’t matter. So much easier to learn when you are just playing around and not seriously trying to accomplish anything or meet a deadline.
Hazel, this is a topic I’ve be intentionally avoiding. I lack confidence in our ability to educate and regulate to adequately protect what needs protecting, including the truth, what is truly important to see and read, and personal rights.
But because it’s YOU, and I trust and respect you, I will read your blog.
I’ve already skimmed it.
Thank you for filtering this scary topic to something I can at least open my eyes a crack to peek at. 👍
Thanks, Alison, I’m honored that you trusted me to take a peek! That was my goal — to demystify it a bit. To say it’s OK if you aren’t into it, but it’s not going away, so here’s a little background.
Great topic Hazel, I think there are benefits and also risks to AI. The way of research have changed for sure, it will be interesting to see where we will be in 10 years and more.
Thank you for making it short and full of information blog.
Thanks, Janet. Benefits and risks, for sure! And the more we know about it the better use we can make of it while hopefully avoiding pitfalls.
Excellent post, Hazel. Very informative. Thank you for the video and article links; I plan on visiting the links next. I agree; over the years, I have seen us going in this direction in all areas of the small business industry (my specialty) and found that adaptation to this new support takes trial and error, where many small business owners may not feel they want to invest in the time it takes to learn/experiment unless it will significantly reduce their workload.
Grammarly has been dabbling with an AI editor for about three months or so now, and I have tried it a few times on my content and emails to clients. It works well when I have writer’s block.
Hootsuite also offers a great AI feature for social media post content.
Tailwind also offers a feature AI feature, and it works with posting content on various platforms as well as designing creative images for them.
I personally hope that AI does help with patient diagnosis and solutions in the near future. The healthcare industry needs all the help that it can get.
Thanks for sharing your current favorite apps, Sabrina! I, too, look forward to seeing what all AI can help us all with.
Hazel, this is a wonderful review. I have played around with ChatGPT a bit. It’s sort of fun to see what it will come up with. I think it’s sort of like the rule of thumb to check, double check, and verify. I don’t take anything it gives me as truth. I read and then do my own investigating.
Thanks, Diane! I think there are going to be plenty of people who don’t verify what ChatGPT tells them. And I hope nothing terrible happens as a result!
WOW! I’m excited and scared after watching the “Generative AI in a Nutshell” video. What an excellent video! I love the concept of “Einstein in your basement” or “Taking Einstein out for a walk.”
Thank you for diving further into AI and sharing some of the ways you’re using it. I’ve been dipping my toes in, primarily working with ChatGPT, but I understand there are many ways and other platforms to experiment with.
Hi Linda, I think “excited and scared” sounds about right! Check out Goblin tools, if you haven’t yet.
Thanks Hazel, for SO much info about AI! It is here to stay and like any tool, can be used for harm or good. I have had great results when I treat Chat GPT like a new intern that I am training and don’t leave out any details about what I want it to do. 🙂
Hi Pam! ChatGPT-as-trainee sounds like the way to go! But also, if the results aren’t great, there’s always a chance to refine your instructions.
I’ve only used ChatGPT so far. I’ve used it to draft paragraphs which I then edit, and to tweak paragraphs which I’ve written to make them more or less formal, and it’s been pretty useful. But I’ve also used it successfully for book recommendations (Is there a novel similar to X?), creating recipes, and other personal projects. Just for fun, I asked it to write a biography for Janet Barclay of Hamilton Ontario Canada. I liked what it came up with, except that it made zero reference to what I’ve been doing professional over the past 15 years or so.
“Janet Barclay is a dynamic professional hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. With a passion for organization and efficiency, she has established herself as a prominent figure in the field of productivity and time management. Armed with a wealth of experience and a knack for problem-solving, Janet has helped countless individuals and businesses streamline their workflows and achieve their goals. When she’s not busy transforming chaos into order, you can find Janet exploring the beautiful landscapes of Ontario or indulging in her love for photography. With her dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to her clients, Janet Barclay continues to make a profound impact in her community and beyond.”
I like your book recommendations idea! And your bio sounds great as far as it goes. I, too asked ChatGPT to tell me about myself (as reported in my last year’s post). I figured, regarding fact-checking, who knows more about me than I do? I think everyone should try it to see what ChatGPT is capable of, and in what ways it is still lacking. Even “lacking” does it a bit of a disservice because it’s not meant to do everything people expect it to do. Thanks for chiming in!