Our Next Meeting:November 8, 2025 |
Presentation: James Tanner
AI Basics: Full-text Search, Chatbots, and Ethics |
The regular monthly meetings of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group are held on the second Saturday of each month, except December, starting at 10 AM Mountain Time. The meetings are free and open to the public. If you would like to receive email notification of classes planned for the next meeting, go to our press release blog page for instructions on how to subscribe. The meetings are broadcast via Zoom to members of the group and via Facebook Live to the public. To watch it live click on the UVTAGG Facebook website link in the box above and view the meeting remotely.
James Tanner
Title: AI Basics: Full-text Search, Chatbots, and Ethics
Description:
This presentation provides an essential introduction to the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in genealogy, focusing on full-text search and AI chatbots. Learn how AI-powered handwriting recognition is revolutionizing family history research by making millions of handwritten records searchable, including those on FamilySearch.org and the 1950 U.S. Federal Census. Discover advanced search tips to maximize your results and find previously undiscovered documents about your ancestors. The guide also defines AI chatbots and lists popular examples. Finally, it highlights the Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Genealogy, covering key ethical areas like Accuracy, Disclosure, and Privacy.
Bio:
James has over 40 years of experience in genealogical research and is an avid blogger of the Genealogy’s Star blog. He has served as a family history volunteer for over 18 years and has presented at expos and conferences around the US, Canada, and Europe. He is a member of the board of directors of the Family History Guide Association and is currently serving at the BYU Family History Library. James is an attorney, a professional photographer, and has 7 children, 34 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
There will no longer be a class after the main presentation.
The meetings are always open to the public and generally open with announcements that include what is happening in technology that effects family history work. A featured guest speaker will then make a one hour presentation on a topic of general interest relating to some aspect of technology and genealogy. Following the main presentation 3 or 4 classes are taught relating to technology and genealogy. These are at all levels from beginning to advanced and typically include classes about various genealogy programs and instruction for using the Internet for Family History work. The classes vary from month to month. There is a list of teachers and their specialties on the Teachers page. A few of the teachers have provided class outlines or summaries for some of their classes. For information about the meetings or about the Group, email us at uvtagginfo@gmail.com or call or text Gerhard Ruf at 801-602-5048.