AI Won’t Find Your Great-Grandmother’s Maiden Name—But Here Are 4 Ways It Will Improve Your Family Research

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has changed many fields, including genealogy research. As family historians, we may wonder if AI can help us discover our great-grandmother’s maiden name or expand our family tree more efficiently. Let’s explore the practical applications and limitations of AI for genealogy research in 2025.

AI as Your Virtual Genealogy Assistant

When approaching AI platforms for genealogy research, think of them as partners or assistants rather than replacements for your research skills. Essentially, an AI platform can be your virtual genealogy assistant.

As your virtual assistant, AI complements your genealogy toolkit by:

• Analyzing patterns across documents quickly
• Suggesting overlooked resources
• Helping brainstorm theories for brick wall problems
• Connecting seemingly unrelated clues
• Creating family narratives from your research findings

AI Tools for Genealogists in 2025

To begin exploring and using AI in your genealogy research, genealogists can choose from several powerful AI platforms. The most widely used options include:

• ChatGPT
• Gemini (Google’s AI)
• Claude
• Copilot (Microsoft’s AI)
• Perplexity

Most offer both free and paid versions, with free versions typically sufficient for basic genealogy needs. However, paid versions may provide benefits if you plan extended research sessions.

I have used and like each of these platforms. Currently, I use ChatGPT (the free version) and the paid version of Claude.

What AI Can Do for Your Genealogy Research

Now that you have an idea of how AI can function as your virtual genealogy assistant, let’s look at four specific ways it can improve your family history research efforts and earn a place in your genealogy toolkit.

1. Craft Effective Research Plans

A solid genealogy research plan is essential whether you’re researching online, offline, with AI, or without it. AI excels at helping organize your research projects, making you a more efficient researcher and saving valuable time.

Genealogy research plans do not have to complicated to be effective. Learn more about how to use research plans in How to Create Your Genealogy Research Plan (& Why You Should!).

2. Break Down Brick Walls

When facing genealogical brick walls (and we all do!), AI can serve as a brainstorming tool. By providing the information you do know, you can ask the AI to:

• Generate theories about why you can’t find an ancestor
• Suggest overlooked records
• Recommend additional resources
• Propose new research paths

When I have been facing a long-standing genealogy brick wall like my 3rd great grandmother Joanna Barrett, it can be hard to view her records in a different light or viewpoint. AI has helped me to be able to consider alternative theories to what her early life looked like, and I now have new avenues and clues to research.

3. Uncover Social History Context

Understanding the social history surrounding your ancestors puts their lives in context. AI can help you:

• Learn about historical events during your ancestor’s lifetime
• Understand factors influencing their decisions
• Identify additional record types based on historical context
• Gain insights into an ancestor’s daily life in specific times and places

When you can understand an ancestor’s life in the context of their location and time period, you can begin to understand what influenced their life decisions. This in turn, can help you pursue new records.

4. Create Family Narratives

One of AI’s strengths is helping create cohesive family stories from your research findings. This is particularly valuable because:

• Younger generations often connect with family history through stories
• AI can help overcome writer’s block or those thoughts of “I’m not a writer.”
• It transforms raw genealogical data into engaging narratives
• It makes sharing family history with non-genealogists more accessible.

What AI Cannot Do in Genealogy Research

Despite its capabilities, AI has limitations for genealogy researchers. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as we understand those limitations. If not, we risk incorrectly evaluating the information AI provides. Those limitations include:

1. Access Original Records

AI platforms cannot access:

• Records behind paywalls or membership walls such as sites like Ancestry.com or MyHeritage
• State records in physical archives
• Courthouse records

2. Stay Current with All Sources

Many AI models have knowledge cutoff dates, meaning they may not incorporate recently published information. Always check the knowledge limitations of your chosen AI platform to interpret results correctly.

3. Replace Your Research Skills

While AI is a powerful tool, it cannot replace:

• Your critical thinking abilities
• Your knowledge of record types and availability
• Your understanding of historical context and cultural norms
• Your experience with genealogical methodology

In other words, it cannot replace YOU!

4. Be Infallible

AI can make mistakes or even fabricate information when it doesn’t know an answer. This limitation makes it essential to maintain strong research skills so you can recognize incorrect information.

5. Replace Your “Genealogy Gut”

After researching for some time, genealogists develop intuition about family patterns and possibilities. AI lacks:

• The ability to sense when something doesn’t align with family patterns
• Understanding of specific family or cultural norms
• The instinct that guides experienced researchers

Do not underestimate what you bring to your research.

Best Practices for Using AI in Genealogy Research

Understanding both the capabilities and limitations of AI is just the beginning. To get the most out of AI for your family history discoveries, you’ll need to approach it strategically. Here are some practical guidelines to help you get the most valuable results from AI in your genealogy research:

To get the most from AI in your family history research:

1. Verify information – Don’t accept AI-generated information as fact without verification. You can even ask AI to provide source citations.
2. Be specific with prompts – Vague prompts like “Help me find my German ancestors” yield broad, unhelpful responses. Instead, try specific prompts such as “Create a research plan to find birth records for Johan Mueller, born in 1855 in Munich, Germany.”
3. Combine AI with traditional methods – Use AI to complement, not replace, proven genealogy research techniques.
4. Stay current with new AI tools – AI capabilities continue to evolve, with new features appearing in both genealogy databases and universal AI platforms.

Should Genealogists Use AI?

Absolutely! When used correctly, AI saves time, helps organize thoughts, creates research plans, and makes you more efficient and successful. The combination of AI as a virtual assistant plus your genealogy skills creates a powerful research approach.

Remember that AI is a tool to enhance your research, not replace your skills or critical thinking. By understanding both its capabilities and limitations, you can effectively incorporate AI into your genealogy toolkit.