| Key Takeaways from the World’s Largest Genealogy Conference |
| Last week, Salt Lake City welcomed thousands of eager genealogists to RootsTech for the first time since 2020. We were thrilled to be there, meeting readers and genealogy leaders in-person again. (We gave out free copies of our March/April issue—grab a digital copy if you haven’t already!) Never fear if you were among the #NotAtRootsTech crowd: There’s still plenty you can do from home, even now that the conference is over. The RootsTech On Demand library includes thousands of pre-recorded presentations from this conference, as well as those from previous years. And FamilySearch uploaded select presentations—including general sessions and some sponsor messages—to its YouTube page. While at the conference, we attended several lectures by industry leaders and the big genealogy websites. Here are some key updates from them—and what we think they mean for the future of family history. Focus on storytelling and family photos In her presentation “What’s New at Ancestry?,” Crista Cowan shared a quote from Laura Holloway: “Storytelling is our obligation to the next generation.” We tend to agree—as do the big genealogy websites, which continue to expand their storytelling capabilities: - Ancestry.com launched Storymaker Studio, a centralized place for the site’s various storytelling tools. Of note: Ancestry.com users can now upload audio files for the first time.
- We’ve previously covered a beta version of FamilySearch’s home page, which takes on some social media-like qualities and makes it easier to share family photos and anecdotes.
- MyHeritage has made headlines in recent years for its numerous photo-enhancement and -editing features. This year, the company will add to its repertoire with Reimagine (a new photo-scanning mobile app) and a photo-dater tool that uses AI to estimate when a photo was taken.
Artificial intelligence and genealogy Genealogists have been using AI for decades: record hints, optical character recognition, and so on. But the release of ChatGPT and other AI-generation tools has sparked renewed interest in—and concern about—the technology. AI took center-stage at RootsTech, with several new and leading companies in the Innovation and Tech Forum sharing news about AI-assisted features: - FamilySearch continues to add computer-generated family trees, which are compiled by analyzing lots of local records.
- Startup KinSame attempts to auto-calculate family relationships using facial similarities between photo subjects.
- Storied’s new tool generates suggested text for a family narrative based on the user’s inputs. A new feature on FamilySearch does something similar for 1950 US census entries.
- MyHeritage’s AI Time Machine, announced in 2022, uses deep-fake technology to create images of photo subjects in historical settings. The previously mentioned photo-dater will employ AI to suggest a photo’s date based solely on the contents of an image.
Stay tuned for more on AI and genealogy—we’ll have an Insider dedicated to this topic later in March DNA tools expand Though companies are attracting fewer new test takers in the United States, they continue to find new applications for those who have already tested. MyHeritage launched a cM Explainer tool. Enter the shared centimorgan (cM) amount that you have with a match, and the tool generates a list of possible relationships. Helpfully, each is given in plain-spoken language. (No more “first cousin once removed”—just “1st cousin’s child.”) Think of it as a streamlined version of the Shared cM Project tool. And Ancestry.com, which recently expanded its DNA market to more countries, announced a DNA Compare tool that allows you to compare results with up to 10 matches at a time. The company will also roll out its SideView technology to Genetic Communities and Traits reporting. These three subjects (storytelling and photos, artificial intelligence, and DNA tools) struck us as the most-prominent themes from the conference. But there’s no shortage of knowledge to gain from RootsTech. Dive into the RootsTech On Demand library, make a playlist, and get started. No rush on watching those recorded sessions, though—you’ve got 357 days until the next conference! |
