Testing ChatGPT Work: Can It Build a Genealogy Research Workbook?

ChatGPT turns ancestor research into a genealogy research workbook and an entire Research Command Center.

Testing ChatGPT Work: Can It Build a Genealogy Research Workbook, using AI?

When I think about fun new ways to use AI for genealogy, Excel spreadsheets aren't usually the first thing that comes to mind. 😉
But since ChatGPT Work can now create and edit spreadsheets along with documents, presentations, PDFs, and other finished deliverables, I decided to see what it could do with genealogy research.
Naturally, I pulled out my favorite AI test ancestor again: my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel “Sam” Steinman.
This time, I wanted something completely different.
I asked ChatGPT to turn Samuel's existing research into a Genealogy Research Command Center.

For this quick test, I intentionally kept the input simple. I uploaded only Samuel’s ancestor profile, which already contained many of my researched facts, details, notes, and source information. I did not upload my complete research file, full citations, individual record images, newspaper articles, or every document I have collected for him. The purpose of the experiment was simply to see what ChatGPT could build from a limited starting file—not to create a complete professional research file for Samuel.

More Than a Spreadsheet

​What ChatGPT created was an actual editable Excel workbook with multiple coordinated tabs for managing different parts of the research.
It included areas for Samuel's ancestor profile, documented timeline, research log, evidence and conflict analysis, sources and citations, FAN Club research, tasks and next steps, findings and conclusions, and more.
The Dashboard pulled the project together by tracking things such as completed and open tasks, logged sources, unresolved claims, timeline events, and research progress.
This was much more interesting than simply putting genealogical facts into rows and columns.

Turning a Brick Wall Into a Workflow

I especially liked that the workbook was built around an actual research objective.
In Samuel's case, one question I've been exploring is when and how he entered the butcher trade.
We know he was working on the family farm in 1870. By the 1880 census, he was a butcher. Then, in 1885, he purchased G. W. Shepherd's meat market.
But what happened in between?
Using the information available in the limited ancestor profile I supplied, the workbook turned that question into specific research tasks: search 1875–1880 newspapers, investigate directories and merchant records, build a timeline for G. W. Shepherd's business, and explore the Hulet/Shepherd/Steinman FAN network.
That is where this became useful to me.
It wasn't just storing research.
It was helping manage the research process.

Evidence, Conflicts, and Things That Are NOT Samuel

​Another tab separated claims from the evidence supporting them.
Instead of treating everything as equally certain, the Evidence Matrix categorized conclusions as Proven, Supported, Unresolved, or Excluded and recorded conflicts, gaps, and possible next actions.
That also gave me somewhere to preserve records that had been investigated and ruled out.
For example, an old 1921 St. Louis newspaper item involving Prohibition stills had previously been associated with Samuel. Later research showed definitively that it was not him.
Rather than simply deleting it and potentially rediscovering the same false lead later, the workbook retains it as an excluded identity issue.
That is good research management.

And I Didn't Have to Build the Excel System Myself

​This may be my favorite part.
The workbook contains things such as formulas, status tracking, organized tables, and drop-down selections.
I don't have to build all of that functionality manually.
I can simply use the fields and dropdowns, add research as I go, and give the workbook back to ChatGPT later if I want something changed, expanded, or reorganized.
That makes a fairly sophisticated spreadsheet much more accessible.

Examples

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Dashboard

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Projects & Objective

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Ancestor Profile

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Timeline 1-1

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Timeline 1-2

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Research Log 1-1

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Research Log 1-2

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Evidence Matrix

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Sources & Citations

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Fan Club 1-1

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Fan Club 1-2

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Tasks

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Record Checklist

ChatGPT Generated Genealogy Research Workbook Example: Findings & Conclusions

My Takeaway

​I originally thought I was testing whether ChatGPT could make a genealogy spreadsheet.
What it actually created was closer to a research-management system.
I can see this being useful for:

• brick wall projects
• ancestor deep dives
• complex family lines
• FAN Club research
• DNA cases
• locality projects
• client research
• any project with lots of sources, questions, and moving pieces

Would I replace my genealogy database with it?
No.
But as a dedicated workspace for managing one complicated research problem?
That is much more interesting.
And once again, ChatGPT took something I could have spent a great deal of time building and gave me a functioning starting point instead. 😉

AI Reminder

A well-organized workbook does not make the information inside it accurate. Genealogical facts, evidence classifications, research conclusions, and citations still require independent review and verification.

​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 an ancestor profile containing selected research, notes, facts, and source information; a few documents or photographs; or an existing blog post. I did not provide my complete research files, full citations, or every supporting document unless the particular test required it.

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.