Rebroadcast -AI & Your Family Tree: How to Use ChatGPT in Your Genealogy - December 2026

Rebroadcast

December 15, 2026 7PM ET

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way genealogists conduct research, interpret documents, and write up findings. In this hands-on immersive course, genealogist Robert Cameron Weir will demonstrate how you can use ChatGPT to boost your productivity, solve complex problems, and get more from your research time.

Designed for genealogists of all levels, this deep dive goes well beyond basic prompting. You’ll learn how to use advanced features like deep reasoning, file and image analysis, and multi-step reasoning.

Instructor:

Robert Cameron Weir is a genealogical researcher, author, and lecturer living in Dover, N.H. who specializes in hard problems related to New England genealogy. He has a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education and is a member of the Association for Professional Genealogists. Rob is also a board member of the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists where he chairs their publication committee.

In this course, you'll learn:

• Demystify ChatGPT: Peek behind the curtain to understand how AI actually works.
• Master Prompt Design: Craft and refine prompts tailored specifically for genealogical research.
• Work Seamlessly with Files: Upload and query images, PDFs, and spreadsheets directly inside ChatGPT.
• Unlock Scanned Records: Analyze historical images and extract vital details from tricky documents.
• Tackle Hard Problems: Deploy advanced techniques like Chain of Thought and Deep Research for tough brick walls.
• Expand Your Toolkit: Know when to leverage specialized AI platforms like Perplexity, NotebookLM, and Transkribus.

Students will leave with a practical understanding of the broad range of ways they can use ChatGPT as part of an ongoing genealogical research project.

How you will benifit:

• Demystify Foreign Records: Overcome language barriers to extract clues from international documents.
• Master Source Citations: Build accurate, reliable citations that strengthen your research credibility.
• Contextualize History: Understand the cultural and legal norms of the time and place your ancestors lived.
• Uncover Hidden Archives: Locate the right repositories, libraries, and publications for your specific lineage.
• Resolve Conflicting Data: Navigate gaps, discrepancies, and incomplete records with confidence.
  

Q&A: There is no live question and answers in a re-broadcast.
While this is a re-broadcast, you can still benefit from the valuable questions and insights shared by other participants during the live event.