Testing ChatGPT Sites for Genealogy: Can It Build an Interactive Ancestor Website?

Testing ChatGPT Sites for genealogy to see how AI can turn family history research into an interactive ancestor website.

Testing ChatGPT Sites for Genealogy: Can It Build an Interactive Ancestor Website with AI?

​I have created plenty of family history pages and ancestor stories over the years, but building an interactive website around one ancestor is another matter entirely.
So when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Sites in July 2026, I immediately started wondering what it could do with genealogy.
Sites is currently in public beta and allows ChatGPT to turn information into an interactive website or lightweight web app that can be previewed, refined, and shared through a URL.
Naturally, I pulled out my official AI guinea pig—my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel “Sam” Steinman. 😉

My First Genealogy Site Test

​Because this was only a test, I didn't upload every piece of research I have on Samuel.
I started with his Ancestry ancestor profile containing facts, notes, sources, and timeline information, along with a few family photographs and selected records.
Then I asked ChatGPT to turn that material into a family-history Site.
And it did.
Instead of giving me code or instructions for building a website myself, ChatGPT created the actual Site.
It organized Samuel's story into sections covering his life, family, research evidence, photographs, and records, and turned the material into something that felt much more like a small ancestor website than a document pasted onto a webpage.
That alone was an interesting test.
But, of course, I couldn't leave it there. 😂

Could I Make It More Interactive?

​The first version looked nice, but it still felt somewhat like a long scrolling family-history page.
So I created a second version and asked ChatGPT to make the experience substantially more interactive and exploratory while preserving the genealogy and overall visual style.
The goal was to let visitors explore Samuel's life rather than simply read from top to bottom.
That is where Sites became much more interesting to me.
I could continue editing the Site conversationally—asking ChatGPT to restructure sections, improve navigation, change captions, add interactive elements, or refine the visitor experience.
OpenAI specifically describes Sites as something you can preview and refine directly with ChatGPT before sharing. 

Samuel Steinman Family History ChatGPT Site Example-1

Samuel Steinman Family History ChatGPT Site Example-2

Samuel Steinman Family History ChatGPT Site Example-3

Samuel Steinman Family History ChatGPT Site Example-4

Protecting Family Photographs

One part of this experiment became especially important.
I had included four personal family photographs, and I wanted them protected.
At first, the watermark behaved more like a visual overlay and could disappear if someone opened or saved the image.
That wasn't good enough.
So I had ChatGPT replace only those displayed copies with flattened, permanently watermarked versions, while preserving the original source images.
The watermark remained part of the actual served image rather than simply appearing over it in the Site viewer.
That was a good reminder that when experimenting with new publishing tools, genealogists need to think beyond appearance.
What happens when someone opens, enlarges, shares, or saves the material?
For family photographs, documents, and other privately held material, that matters.

Samuel Steinman Family History ChatGPT Site Example-5

What I Like About Sites for Genealogy

​I don't see Sites replacing a full genealogy website or research database.
What interests me is the possibility of creating focused family-history experiences.
For example:

• an ancestor biography
• a family migration story
• a research case study
• a reunion history
• a military ancestor tribute
• an immigrant family's journey
• a collection of photographs and records
• an interactive research presentation

Instead of handing someone a long narrative and hoping they read it, you could potentially let them explore the story.
That is a very different way of presenting family history.

A Few Cautions

​As with any AI-created genealogy product, the finished Site still requires careful review.
I specifically instructed ChatGPT not to invent genealogical facts, relationships, dates, quotations, or evidence.
I also reviewed the structure, captions, photographs, and research presentation myself.
And because Sites are designed to be shareable and can potentially be published through a URL, privacy and copyright deserve special attention before putting family-history material online. 

My Takeaway

​This test surprised me because I originally expected something closer to a generated webpage.
Instead, I found myself building and revising an interactive family-history experience through conversation.
And because I created two versions of Samuel's Site, I could also experiment without destroying the original.
For me, that is where the real potential is.
Not simply:
“AI can make a website.”
But:
“AI can help turn genealogy research into something family members can actually explore.”
And that opens up a lot of possibilities. 😉

​A quick note about my testing: These were intentionally quick capability tests, not complete genealogy research projects. Depending on the experiment, I supplied only limited material—such as for this quick test, I uploaded Samuel’s ancestor profile along with only a few selected records and family photographs—not my complete research collection for him.

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More AI and Genealogy Resources

Learn about more AI and family history & genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and  Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.