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In this insightful webinar, genealogist and AI innovator Andrew Redfern explores how custom GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) can revolutionize family history research. Drawing on his deep experience in genealogy and technology, Redfern guides viewers through practical examples and real-time demonstrations, revealing how these tools can streamline time-consuming tasks, uncover hidden connections, and bring new efficiency to traditional research methods. This session is a must-watch for genealogists eager to harness cutting-edge AI to enhance their work and collaborate more effectively with historical societies and research communities worldwide.
Key Takeaways:- Custom GPTs as Personal Research Assistants: Redfern explains that custom GPTs can be programmed to perform repetitive genealogical tasks such as obituary extraction, record transcription, and pedigree chart comparison. These tools reduce manual workload and allow researchers to focus on analytical thinking, significantly increasing productivity in large-scale or community-driven projects.
- Real-World Applications in Genealogy: Through live demonstrations, Redfern showcases GPTs tailored for obituary analysis, surname extraction, and will interpretation. For instance, the "Obituary Analyser" auto-generates structured data from narrative texts, while a pedigree chart comparison tool helps trace DNA matches. These examples emphasize the value of designing GPTs for specific, repeatable genealogical functions.
- Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Own GPT: Attendees are walked through the process of planning, constructing, and refining their own GPTs. Redfern stresses the importance of clearly defining the tool’s purpose, expected input and output, and iteratively testing to improve accuracy. He encourages starting with small, focused tools and expanding from there to maintain reliability and usability.
Be sure to explore the accompanying syllabus, which contains valuable supplemental materials, links, and detailed instructions to help you get started with AI in your genealogy projects.
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Comments (91)
This was great! I've used GPT but not the pre-programmed custom GPTs. The custom tools will be even better, and I cannot wait to try them.
This is the most interesting program I have seen about AI. I actually think I can do something with this.
This webinar was very fast paced and several participants commented that they had difficulty keeping up. This was more of an intermediate to advanced course on Chat GPT. The presenter and content was excellent and I look forward to attending more sessions with this facilitator and using AI.
Amazing!
Explained use of GPTs in simple and easy to understand language. As a live presentation, we also witnessed the thought process for dealing with issues of images failing to load. Some of our best learning comes from what to do when things go wrong, not when every step is executed perfectly.
Excellent presentation!!! Mind blowing information. Thank you Andrew for your generosity in sharing your expertise.
I thoroughly enjoyed the webinar and plan to watch the re-play. I am relatively new to the use of AI, but the presenter's descriptions and explanations were very clear. I am going to recommend it to my genealogical group.
Very interesting