 Creative AI for Genealogy: Easy, Engaging Family History Projects with Little or No Prompting Creative AI for Genealogy: You Don't Need to Be a Prompt Engineer Discover how today's AI tools can help you preserve and share your family history in engaging new ways, without writing complicated prompts. Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days. Open social media, browse genealogy forums, or attend a conference, and you'll likely hear someone talking about AI. Unfortunately, many genealogists still feel that AI is complicated, intimidating, or only useful for people who enjoy writing long, detailed prompts. The good news? It doesn't have to be. Many of today's AI tools can create meaningful and engaging family history projects with very little effort. In many cases, all you need to do is upload a photo, choose an ancestor, or click a single button. But before we talk about the tools themselves, I'd like to ask you a few questions.
As genealogists, we spend tons of hours researching records, solving mysteries, documenting sources, and building family trees. But many times, those years of hard work remain tucked away inside binders, filing cabinets, genealogy software, or online family trees that few relatives ever explore. Our research deserves an audience. More importantly, our ancestors deserve to be remembered. AI Is Simply Another ToolArtificial intelligence doesn't replace genealogy research. It doesn't replace careful analysis, original records, or sound conclusions. Instead, AI gives us new ways to share the stories we've already uncovered. Think of it this way. A beautifully researched ancestor can become:
Only the way we tell the story has. You Don't Need to Be a Prompt Engineer One of the biggest myths about AI is that you need to become an expert prompt writer before you can create anything worthwhile. That just isn't true anymore. Many AI tools now include built-in features that require little or no prompting at all. Others need only a short instruction such as: "Generate a biography." or "Create a one-minute video about this ancestor." The technology has become much more friendly, allowing genealogists to focus on creativity rather than complicated instructions. Why Creative Projects MatterFamily history is much more than collecting names and dates. It is about preserving lives. When we transform our research into stories, music, videos, or visual experiences, we create opportunities for others to connect with our ancestors in ways that traditional pedigree charts just can’t. A grandchild may never sit down to read a twenty-page research report. But they might happily watch a one-minute video about a great-great-grandparent. They may listen to a song inspired by an ancestor's life. They may become curious after seeing an old family photograph gently smile through animation. Those moments can become the doorway into a lifelong interest in family history. A New Series on Creative AI Over the next several articles, we'll explore some of my favorite ways to use today's AI tools to bring family history to life. We'll look at projects such as:
Most of these projects require little or no prompting and can be completed by genealogists of all experience levels. You don't need to be a tech expert. You just need a story worth telling. And if you're a genealogist, chances are you already have hundreds of them waiting to be shared. Final Thoughts Artificial intelligence isn't replacing genealogy. It's giving us new ways to preserve, experience, and share the family stories we've spent years discovering. After all, the goal isn't simply to build a family tree. It's to make sure future generations want to climb it. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
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7/19/2026 AI in Genealogy: Creating Ancestor Songs with Gemini's New Lyria 3 Music GeneratorRead Now Testing Gemini's new Create Music feature by turning my 2nd great-grandfather's life story into a folk ballad Ever since AI image generation became popular, I've wondered when AI music would become just as accessible for genealogists. I've been experimenting with AI music for a couple of years now using tools like Suno and AI Music Factory (you can read more about that at Creating Family History Songs with AI: Honoring Our Ancestor’s Through Music), usually by writing lyrics first (often with ChatGPT) and then letting the music platform bring those words to life. The results have ranged from impressive to surprisingly emotional. So when I recently noticed that Gemini now includes a Create Music feature powered by Lyria 3, I knew exactly what I wanted to test. Naturally, my official AI test subject made another appearance... My 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel "Sam" Steinman. My Test I actually discovered that this feature has apparently been available since around late February, but I simply hadn't noticed it. I spend far more time in ChatGPT and Claude than I do in Gemini, so this one slipped under my radar. For consistency, I used exactly the same source material I use for many of my AI experiments:
Test #1: No Prompt Required This may be the most beginner-friendly part of the entire feature. I simply selected the "Folk Ballad" template and uploaded Samuel's research profile. That was it. No prompt. No instructions. No songwriting. Anyone could do this. Gemini generated a song automatically. Actually...I generated two different versions, each about 30 seconds long. Version One I was pleasantly surprised. Although short, it actually included accurate information about Samuel's life and sounded pretty good. Version Two This one wasn't nearly as successful. Some basic facts were incorrect, despite using exactly the same uploaded research profile. That's one important reminder when using AI: Always fact-check the output. Wait...Why Was I Only Getting 30-Second Songs?After a little digging, I discovered something interesting. Everything I'd read suggested Lyria 3 was capable of creating songs closer to three minutes long, yet mine kept stopping after about 30 seconds. It turns out there are two different experiences:
The trick? I needed to switch my chat model from the default Flash to Pro before creating the music. Once I did that... Success. Test #2: The Three-Minute VersionNow Gemini produced a full-length song. This version was much more accurate than the second 30-second attempt. The problem wasn't accuracy. It was pacing. Samuel lived a full life. Trying to squeeze seventy years of births, deaths, moves, occupations, marriages, tragedies, and accomplishments into a three-minute song made everything feel rushed. Instead of telling a story... ...it sounded more like a timeline trying to sing. Test #3: Adding One Extra StepThis is where things became much more interesting. Instead of letting Gemini invent the lyrics, I first asked ChatGPT to write a proper folk ballad based on Samuel's research profile. Then I copied those lyrics into Gemini. I selected the same Folk Ballad music style. And let Gemini compose the music. The difference was dramatic. The lyrics flowed naturally. The story unfolded at a comfortable pace. The chorus repeated like an actual folk song. The music fit the lyrics instead of trying to summarize an entire lifetime in a few rushed verses. It sounded... Fantastic. My Overall Thoughts If you're completely new to AI... Gemini's Create Music feature is wonderful. Seriously. You don't have to know anything about prompting. You don't have to write lyrics. You don't even have to know where to begin. Choose a music style. Upload a document. Click Create. Done. That simplicity alone makes it worth trying. However... If you're willing to spend one extra minute creating better lyrics first, the results improve dramatically. For me, the winning workflow became:
Which Version Did I Like Best? Interestingly... My favorite wasn't actually the three-minute version generated entirely by Gemini. I actually preferred the original 30-second clip over Gemini's longer automatically generated song. The shorter version stayed focused and felt more polished. But the clear winner overall was: ChatGPT-generated lyrics + Gemini-generated music. That combination produced, by far, the best result. (I guess ChatGPT is still my favorite all-around AI tool!) Listen for Yourself I've uploaded all three versions to YouTube so you can compare them yourself. You'll be able to hear: I think hearing the differences side-by-side tells the story much better than words ever could. Final ThoughtsOne of my favorite parts of genealogy is finding new ways to tell our ancestors' stories. Sometimes that's through writing. Sometimes through photographs. Sometimes through animation. And... Sometimes through music. Will AI-generated songs replace carefully written family histories? Of course not. But they can add something wonderfully unexpected—a way to experience an ancestor's story rather than simply read it. And if a three-minute folk ballad inspires someone to learn more about the person behind the lyrics... I'd call that a successful experiment. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
7/12/2026 Why You Should Research Your Ancestors' Descendants (And Not Just Your Direct Line)Read Now Why researching your ancestors' descendants can reveal new stories, solve genealogy brick walls, and enrich your family history. Why You Should Research Your Ancestors' Descendants (And Not Just Your Direct Line) in GenealogyHave you ever spent hours—or even years—researching your direct ancestors, only to find yourself staring at a brick wall? If so, you may be overlooking one of the most powerful research strategies in genealogy: descendancy research. When most people begin tracing their family history, they naturally focus on their direct ancestors—parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. While that's an important part of genealogy, it's only one side of the story. What many genealogists don't realize is that researching an ancestor's descendants can usually reveal information that just isn't found by following your direct line alone. In fact, some of my biggest breakthroughs, both in my own family history and in client research, have come from looking forward instead of backward. What Is Descendancy Research? Descendancy research is exactly what it sounds like: instead of tracing your family tree backward through your direct ancestors, you start with an ancestor and research all of their descendants—their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and beyond. Rather than focusing on a single branch, you're building an entire family network. This approach may take more time, but the rewards can be tremendous. Why Research Descendants?There are many reasons to research the descendants of an ancestor, and each project may have a different goal. Here are just a few ways descendancy research can benefit your family history research. Break Through Brick Walls Sometimes the answers you're searching for aren't found in your direct ancestor's records—they're hidden in the records of a sibling, cousin, niece, nephew, or another descendant. Perhaps a descendant's obituary identifies family members that earlier records never mentioned. A probate record may name heirs that establish relationships. A newspaper article might explain why a family suddenly disappeared from one location and reappeared somewhere else. By researching the entire family, you can uncover clues that solve long-standing mysteries. Find Living Relatives One of the most common reasons I use descendancy research methods is to locate living relatives. Whether you're hoping to reconnect with distant cousins, interview family members, identify potential DNA testers, or just expand your family connections, researching descendants often leads to relatives you never knew existed. Locate Family Photographs and HeirloomsFamily treasures don't always stay with your direct line. Old photographs, family Bibles, letters, military memorabilia, journals, and other heirlooms often pass down through different branches of the family. A distant cousin may unknowingly have the very photograph you've spent years searching for. Preserve Family Stories Every branch of a family preserves different memories. One cousin may remember stories about a great-grandparent's military service, while another has childhood memories, photographs, or letters that have never been shared with the rest of the family. Researching descendants helps preserve these stories before they're lost to time. Support DNA Research Descendancy research and genetic genealogy work hand in hand. When trying to solve an unknown parentage case, identify the parents of an ancestor, or confirm a family connection, finding the right living descendants to test can make all the difference. Building accurate descendancy trees also helps identify how DNA matches may fit into your family. Understand the Family as a WholeOur ancestors didn't live in isolation. They lived within families, communities, and networks of relatives who usually migrated together, served together in the military, witnessed each other's records, inherited property from one another, and appeared together throughout the historical record. Researching descendants lets you to see the bigger picture rather than viewing each ancestor as a single individual. Estate, Probate, and Heir Research Descendancy research is also an important tool in legal genealogy. Professional genealogists are often asked to identify living heirs, locate beneficiaries named in wills, or reconstruct families for probate and estate matters. These projects require researching entire descendant lines to determine who is living today and how they relate to the deceased. Medical Genealogy Family health history can sometimes be better understood by researching descendants. Learning about inherited conditions that appear across multiple branches of a family may help identify patterns that aren't obvious when looking only at your direct line. When Should You Consider Descendancy Research?Descendancy research may be especially useful if you are:
Looking Beyond Your Direct Line It's easy to become so focused on tracing your family tree backward that we forget another equally important direction—forward. Every child, grandchild, and great-grandchild of an ancestor represents another branch of your family's story. Those branches usually hold records, photographs, memories, DNA connections, and clues that can help answer questions your direct line alone cannot. After years of researching descendants for my own family, clients, attorneys, and investigators, I've found that some of the greatest discoveries happen when we stop looking only at where our ancestors came from and start exploring where their families went. Sometimes, the key to understanding the past is found by researching those who came after. This series is based off of my 2017 "Finding Descendants in Your Family Tree" presentation More Genealogy Research Methods & TipsGet more genealogy research tips, under the Genealogy Research Tips and Genealogy Quick Tips categories.
Google NotebookLM's new Short Video Overview feature transforms genealogy presentations and blog articles into engaging one-minute videos with AI.
​Google NotebookLM's New Short Video Overview: A Genealogist's First Look
When Google NotebookLM first introduced Audio Overviews, I was impressed with how easily it could turn research into a conversational podcast. Since then, NotebookLM has continued adding new AI-powered features, and a few days ago another one quietly appeared: Short Video Overview.
​ Naturally, I had to try it. As many of you know, I enjoy testing new AI tools to see how they can actually help genealogists—not just because they're new, but because they might save time, improve communication, or make family history more engaging. ​ So I spent some time experimenting. ​My Test
Rather than uploading random documents, I decided to use material I already knew well.
My first test used the PDF of one of my PowerPoint presentations, complete with the speaker notes: Finding Descendants in Your Family Tree NotebookLM analyzes whatever sources you add to your notebook and then offers three suggested topics it thinks would make good short videos. You can also ignore those suggestions and create your own custom topic. I generated several versions, using each option. The first attempt wasn't particularly impressive. The second was noticeably better. By the third version, NotebookLM had created a concise one-minute video that did a nice job explaining Why Genealogists Trace Descendants, one of the suggested topics. It wasn't perfect, but it was certainly good enough to share.​ Want to see the result? ▶ Watch: "Why Genealogists Trace Descendants" ​Testing with a Blog Article
Next, I wanted to see whether NotebookLM worked just as well with written content.
​ This time I uploaded one of my blog articles: 4 Essential Websites for Early California Genealogy Research Again, NotebookLM suggested several possible video topics. I generated several versions, trying each option, until I found one I liked. ​ One that caught my attention was: How to Find Pre-1850 California Ancestors ​ ▶ Watch: "How to Find Pre-1850 California Ancestors"
Testing both presentations and blog articles gave me a better idea of where this new feature shines—and where it still needs some work.
​What I Like
After creating quite a few videos, here are my first impressions.
Short and Easy to Watch Each video is only about a minute long. That makes them much easier for viewers to consume than longer educational videos, especially on social media. It Finds Good Talking Points I was pleasantly surprised by many of the suggested topics NotebookLM generated automatically. Sometimes it identified the exact angle I would have chosen myself. Multiple Versions One thing I quickly learned is that you're not limited to a single result. If the first video isn't quite right, simply generate another. Each version is slightly different, and sometimes the improvement is significant. ​ Custom Topics You're not limited to NotebookLM's suggested topics. If you already know what you'd like the video to focus on, you can enter your own custom topic and let NotebookLM build the video around that idea. ​Where It Still Falls Short
Like most AI tools, the results can be somewhat inconsistent.
​​ Some videos were excellent. Others completely missed the point I wanted to emphasize. That's why I recommend generating multiple versions before deciding whether a video is worth sharing. Another thing I discovered is that the videos themselves can become fairly large files, even for these shorts. Since I wanted to add my website address to each video, I imported them into Google Vids to add a small text footer. That simple edit nearly doubled the file size.​ Instead of uploading those large files directly, I chose to upload them to YouTube and simply share the links. For me, that's a much more practical solution. ​Ideas for Genealogists
As I experimented, I found myself thinking beyond presentations and blog posts.
​ This feature could be useful for creating:
My Overall Thoughts
NotebookLM's Short Video Overview feature isn't perfect, but it's surprisingly useful.
Some videos will miss the mark. Others will capture your content remarkably well. The key is experimenting with different sources, trying multiple generations, and taking advantage of both the suggested and custom topics. For genealogists who already create presentations, write blog posts, or produce educational content, this feature offers another creative way to repurpose the work you've already done. I'll definitely continue experimenting with it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Google improves it over time. ​ If you've tried NotebookLM's new Short Video Overview feature, I'd love to hear about your experience. Did it capture your content well, or did you have to generate several versions before finding one you liked? ​More AI in Genealogy
Learn about more AI in genealogy updates, tips, and resources (including more NotebookLM tools), along with other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources categories and on my dedictaed Genealogy Resources page.
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Welcome to the BlogWelcome to Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family! Here you'll find genealogy research tips, family history resources, DNA insights, technology and AI tools, genealogy news, and stories from my own research journey. Whether you're just starting your family tree, exploring your ancestry, or tackling a challenging brick wall, my goal is to help you discover, understand, and preserve your family's story. Categories
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