The Family History AI Show

EP38: 2025 Year in Review, A Look Back at Our 2025 AI Predictions, The Reasoning Revolution

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little present a special year-end episode, comparing their 2025 AI predictions to what actually unfolded in 2025. This episode is a great review of the top AI advancements in 2025! The hosts examine which predictions hit the mark, including the agentic AI hype cycle, plummeting AI costs driven by DeepSeek, and the dethroning of OpenAI as the top AI model. They also explore predictions that proved partially accurate, such as the shift to local language models and the adoption of AI in social media. Mark and Steve have a good laugh over their biggest misses, including breakthroughs in text-in-image generation, image restoration, and vibe coding. They highlight how reasoning models were the transformative force behind nearly every major AI advancement in 2025. The episode closes with a preview of next week's 2026 predictions episode. TIMESTAMPS: 03:30 Agents, Agents, Everywhere: Deep Research and Agentic Browsers 09:49 Cost of AI Drops Like a Rock: DeepSeek Disrupts the Market 12:26 OpenAI Dethroned: Gemini and Anthropic Rise 18:46 Local Language Models 23:54 AI Invades Social Media 28:24 AI-Enhanced Writing: From Grammar Checking to Ghost Writers 32:30 Family Tree Diagrams: Possible But Not Practical 36:03 Handwriting Recognition: Reasoning Improves Results 38:01 Reasoning Models: 2025’s Most Important Advancement 41:31 Text in Images: A Solved Problem 45:05 Image Restoration: Breakthroughs and Responsibilities 51:02 Vibe Coding: Speaking Software Into Being RESOURCE LINKS: Register for a Class with the Family History AI Show Academy https://tixoom.app/fhaishow Agentic AI Agentic AI In-Depth Report 2025 https://hblabgroup.com/agentic-ai-in-depth-report/ Perplexity's New AI-First Browser Kicks Off Agentic Applications https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenwolfepereira/2025/07/11/perplexitys-new-ai-first-browser-is-kicking-off-agentic-applications/ Cost of AI State of AI in 10 Charts https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-index-2025-state-of-ai-in-10-charts Free AI Tools 2025 https://thehumanprompts.com/free-ai-tools-2025-platforms/ OpenAI Dethroned Geoffrey Hinton says Google is 'beginning to overtake' OpenAI https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-google-overtaking-openai-2025-12 Local AI Hardware Assessing the On-Device Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunity https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/assessing-the-on-device-ai-opportunity.pdf Family Tree Diagrams Explore how powerful AI image editing can support advanced creative workflows. https://deepmind.google/models/gemini-image/pro/ Text in Images Nano Banana Pro Review: Is Google's AI Image Generator Too Good? https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-nano-banana-pro-ai-image-generator-review/ Vibe Coding No code, big dreams https://www.businessinsider.com/non-technical-people-vibecoding-lessons-ai-apps-2025-9 Image Restoration Responsible AI Photo Restoration https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/ Protecting Trust in Historical Images https://craigen.org/protecting-trust-in-historical-images/ TAGS: Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Predictions, Reasoning Models, DeepSeek, Gemini, Image Restoration, Vibe Coding, Agentic AI

EP37: Google Gemini 3 Released, ChatGPT 5.1 Upgrades, How Reasoning Improves Transcriptions, Canva AI Image Generation

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine Google's groundbreaking Gemini 3 release, which delivers state-of-the-art multimodal reasoning and sets a new benchmark for AI capabilities. They also explore ChatGPT's upgrade to version 5.1 with improved instruction following and better handling of longer conversation. The hosts discuss Canva's new Creative Operating System, which now generates AI-powered designs directly within the platform. This week's Tip of the Week demonstrates how Gemini 3 can use the context you provide it to greatly improve the accuracy of your hand written transcription. In RapidFire, they cover NotebookLM's new deep research mode, Nano Banana's integration into Photoshop, Anthropic's privacy policy changes regarding training data, and how Claude's new usage monitoring feature can reduce your stress level. TIMESTAMPS: In the News: 04:17 Google Gemini 3’s Multimodal AI Reaches New Heights 13:47 ChatGPT 5.1 upgrade is now better at following your Instructions 22:39 Canva Creative Operating System: AI-Powered Design Generation Tip of the Week: 26:21 Adding Reasoning to Your Transcriptions Improves Accuracy RapidFire: 36:40 NotebookLM Becomes a Fully Featured Research Tool 43:40 Nano Banana is Now Available in Photoshop 47:20 Anthropic Announces Claude Chats Will Be Used for Training Data 54:13 View Your Claude Usage in Settings RESOURCE LINKS: Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academy https://tixoom.app/fhaishow [https://tixoom.app/fhaishow] Google Gemini 3 Introducing Gemini 3: A New Era of Intelligence https://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3/ [https://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3/] ChatGPT 5.1 A smarter, more conversational https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-1/ [https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-1/] GPT-5.1 New Features Explained https://scalevise.com/resources/gpt-5-1-new-features/ [https://scalevise.com/resources/gpt-5-1-new-features/] Canva Creative Operating System Introducing Canva's Creative Operating System https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/creative-operating-system/ [https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/creative-operating-system/] NotebookLM Deep Research NotebookLM adds Deep Research and support for more source types https://blog.google/technology/google-labs/notebooklm-deep-research-file-types/ [https://blog.google/technology/google-labs/notebooklm-deep-research-file-types/] Nano Banana in Photoshop Create with unlimited generations using Google Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro) in Adobe Firefly https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/11/20/google-gemini-3-nano-banana-pro-firefly-photoshop [https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/11/20/google-gemini-3-nano-banana-pro-firefly-photoshop] Anthropic Privacy Policy Update Anthropic Will Use Claude Chats for Training Data: How to Opt Out https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-using-claude-chats-for-training-how-to-opt-out/ [https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-using-claude-chats-for-training-how-to-opt-out/] Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy https://www.anthropic.com/news/updates-to-our-consumer-terms [https://www.anthropic.com/news/updates-to-our-consumer-terms] Claude Usage Monitoring Usage Limit Best Practices https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices [https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices] TAGS: Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Canva, NotebookLM, Nano Banana, Anthropic Claude, Photo Restoration

EP36: Browser Wars Heat Up, What AI Can Learn from AOL, Anthropic's Speedy New AI Model, Simple Path to Better Prompts

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how new AI browsers are changing how genealogists research. They compare OpenAI's Atlas, Microsoft Edge, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity's Comet, explaining which features help family historians most. The hosts share lessons from the early AOL era that can be applied to the AI era. They also explore Anthropic's new Haiku 4.5, a very fast model that works great for simple tasks like transcription and summarization. Don’t miss this week's Tip of the Week, where Steve shows how AI can help you write better AI prompts. He uses an example for extracting information from draft cards to show how useful this approach can be. In RapidFire, they cover new AI features in spreadsheets, major improvements in transcribing old handwriting, and how Microsoft Copilot's new agent store tries to help you with common tasks. TIMESTAMPS: In the News: 01:20 Browser Wars Heat Up: OpenAI Atlas, Edge, and Gemini Compete 16:50 What AI Can Learn from AOL: Avoiding Walled Garden Mistakes 29:10 Anthropic's Haiku 4.5: When Smaller Models Beat Bigger Ones Tip of the Week: 39:50 Using AI to Write Better Prompts for Historical Documents RapidFire: 47:19 AI Makes Spreadsheets Easier: Google Sheets vs Excel 54:35 Reading Old Handwriting Gets Better: DeepSeek and Google Updates 01:05:15 Microsoft Copilot Adds Writing and Prompt Coaches RESOURCE LINKS: Genealogy and AI Facebook to hit 20k users! https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai [https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyandai] An In-Depth Look at OpenAI's AI Browser https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/chatgpt-atlas-openai-browser [https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/chatgpt-atlas-openai-browser] DeepSeek AI created DeepSeek-OCR  https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/10/deepseek-ocr/ [https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/10/deepseek-ocr/] Nearly perfect on handwriting recognition https://generativehistory.substack.com/p/has-google-quietly-solved-two-of [https://generativehistory.substack.com/p/has-google-quietly-solved-two-of] Global AI Browser Market Size https://market.us/report/ai-browser-market/ [https://market.us/report/ai-browser-market/] Benchmarking Claude Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5 on 400 Real PRs https://www.qodo.ai/blog/thinking-vs-thinking-benchmarking-claude-haiku-4-5-and-sonnet-4-5-on-400-real-prs/ [https://www.qodo.ai/blog/thinking-vs-thinking-benchmarking-claude-haiku-4-5-and-sonnet-4-5-on-400-real-prs/] Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 4.5 Brings Enterprise-Grade Speed and Savings to Customer-Facing AI https://www.cxtoday.com/contact-center/anthropics-claude-haiku-4-5-brings-enterprise-grade-speed-and-savings-to-customer-facing-ai/ [https://www.cxtoday.com/contact-center/anthropics-claude-haiku-4-5-brings-enterprise-grade-speed-and-savings-to-customer-facing-ai/] Top 10 AI Spreadsheet Tools https://www.knack.com/blog/top-ai-spreadsheet-tools/ [https://www.knack.com/blog/top-ai-spreadsheet-tools/] Prompt Coach: Prebuilt agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat https://rishonapowerplatform.com/2025/03/11/prompt-coach-prebuilt-agent-for-microsoft-365-copilot-chat/ [https://rishonapowerplatform.com/2025/03/11/prompt-coach-prebuilt-agent-for-microsoft-365-copilot-chat/] TAGS: Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, AI Browsers, OpenAI Atlas, Google Gemini, Microsoft Edge, Perplexity Comet, Anthropic Haiku, Meta-Prompting, Spreadsheet AI, OCR Technology, Handwritten Text, DeepSeek, Microsoft Copilot, AI Agents, Document Extraction, Family History, Browser Wars, AI Models

EP35: Nano Banana Comes to Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects Now Free, Citation Best Practices for Nano Banana, Sora 2 Goes Social, Claude Writes MS Office Documents

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how Google's Nano Banana photo restoration tool will revolutionize image restoration by integrating with Adobe Photoshop. This move will greatly reduce unintended changes to historical photos when editing them with AI. Next, they unpack OpenAI’s move to make ChatGPT Projects available to free-tier users, making research organization more accessible for genealogists. This week's Tip of the Week provides essential guidance on the responsible use AI when editing historical photos using AI tools like Nano Banana, ensuring transparency and trust in historical photographs. In RapidFire, they cover OpenAI's new Sora 2 AI-video social media platform, Claude's new ability to create and edit Microsoft Office files, memory features in Claude Projects, advancements in local language models, and how OpenAI's massive infrastructure deals are changing the AI landscape. TIMESTAMPS: In the News: 02:43 Adobe improves historical photo restoration by adding Nano Banana to Photoshop 09:34 ChatGPT Projects are Now Free Tip of the Week: 13:36 Citations for AI-Restored Images Build Trust in AI-Modified Photos RapidFire: 21:24 Sora 2 Goes Social 27:23 Claude Adds Microsoft Office Creation and Editing 34:26 Memory Features Come to Claude Projects 38:32 Apple and Amazon both create Local Language Model tools 44:47 OpenAI's Big Data Centre Deal with Oracle RESOURCE LINKS OpenAI announces free access to ChatGPT Projects https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes Engadget: OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Projects to Free Users https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-rolls-out-chatgpt-projects-to-free-users-215027802.html Forbes: OpenAI Makes ChatGPT Projects Free https://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2025/09/14/small-business-technology-roundup-microsoft-copilot-does-not-improve-productivity-and-openai-makes-chatgpt-project-free/ Responsible AI Photo Restoration https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/ Claude now has memory, but only for certain users https://mashable.com/article/anthropic-claude-ai-now-has-memory-for-some-users New Apple Intelligence features are available today https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/new-apple-intelligence-features-are-available-today/ Introducing Amazon Lens Live https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/search-image-amazon-lens-live-shopping-rufus Amazon Lens Live Can Scan and Pull Up Matches https://www.pcmag.com/news/spot-an-item-you-wish-to-buy-amazon-lens-live-can-scan-and-pull-up-matches A Joint Statement from OpenAI and Microsoft About Their Changing Partnership https://openai.com/index/joint-statement-from-openai-and-microsoft/ The Verge: OpenAI and Oracle Pen $300 Billion Compute Deal https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/776170/oracle-openai-300-billion-contract-project-stargate Reuters: OpenAI and Oracle Sign $300 Billion Computing Deal https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-oracle-sign-300-billion-computing-deal-wsj-reports-2025-09-10/?utm_source=chatgpt.com TAGS Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, Photo Restoration, AI Tools, OpenAI, Google, Adobe Photoshop, ChatGPT Projects, Nano Banana, Image Editing, AI Citations, Sora 2, Video Generation, Claude, Microsoft Office, Apple Intelligence, Amazon Lens, Oracle, Cloud Computing, Local Language Models, AI Infrastructure, Responsible AI, Historical Photos

EP34: 2025 Mid-Year AI Review, FamilySearch Full-Text Goes Live, Nano Banana Photo Restoration Tips, AI's Environmental Impact

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little review the biggest AI breakthroughs of 2025 so far, from DeepSeek's open-source revolution to GPT-5's unified reasoning model. Mark and Steve also celebrate FamilySearch's Full-Text Search moving from experimental labs to the main website, covering 1.4 billion records across 4,300 collections plus new summarization and filtering features. This week's Tip of the Week provides practical guidance on using Nano Banana for photo restoration, explaining when it works brilliantly and when to exercise caution with damaged images. In RapidFire, they examine competing reports on AI's environmental impact, explore Google's new AI Mode in mobile apps, and discuss the landmark antitrust ruling that forces Google to share search data with competitors. TIMESTAMPS: In the News: 03:44 2025 Mid-Year Review: AI's Explosive Growth in Genealogy 29:08 FamilySearch Full Text Search Is Now Live 37:57 AI Success Stories in the Wild: Real Genealogists, Real Results Tip of the Week: 47:53 Best Uses for Nano Banana (Gemini Nano): Small Model, Big Impact RapidFire: 59:54 AI's Environmental Debate: Energy Costs vs. Benefits 1:03:50 Google AI in Mobile Apps: What It Means for Genealogists 1:11:07 Google Antitrust Ruling Issued: Impact on AI Development RESOURCE LINKS: Intro to Family History AI by the Family History AI Show Academy https://tixoom.app/fhaishow Full-Text Search (must be logged in to use this link) https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/ Full-Text Search Leaves FamilySearch Labs https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/full-text-search-leaves-familysearch-labs How do I use FullText Search? https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-fulltext-search Responsible AI Photo Restoration https://makingfamilyhistory.com/responsible-ai-photo-restoration/ WaPo AI Energy Usage, Sept 2024 https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/18/energy-ai-use-electricity-water-data-centers/ Google: How much energy does Google's AI use? We did the math https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/measuring-the-environmental-impact-of-ai-inference/ Judge orders Google to share search data as part of antitrust ruling --- but Google gets to keep Chrome https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/search-engines/judge-orders-google-to-share-search-data-as-part-of-antitrust-ruling-but-google-gets-to-keep-chrome?utm_source=chatgpt.com   TAGS: Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, DeepSeek R1, AI Reasoning, Open Source AI, Free AI Tools, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, OpenAI Operator, AI Agents, Beginner AI Guide, Research Tools, Document Analysis, AI Democratization, Context Windows, Deep Research, AI Writing, Browser Automation, Genealogy Research, AI Accessibility, Reasoning Models, AI Education