I've always been interested in family history, but didn't have the time or energy to get into it. Then I got talking to a friend who suggested using AI to help.
So I set AI agents to work like careful researchers, then built a private site to share what they find with the family.
The agents run all the time, chasing new leads through census returns, naturalisation papers, passenger lists, newspapers and archive catalogues
They correspond with archives, cemeteries and other sources in several languages
Every claim carries its source and a rating for how sure it is, and before calling a record proven they have to verify it with real documentation
They track down long-lost relatives and find ways to reach them
Family members send in photos, memories and corrections, and I check everything before it goes in
A map of the family, and the people it led me to
The interactive map shows every place anyone in the family is recorded. Press play and the pins move through the years, then tap one to see who was there.
Then there are the people. The agents have found long-lost relatives and ways to reach them, and everyone I've contacted so far has been excited to hear from me. Names on a chart have turned into real conversations.
The agents do the research and write the stories from the records. A computer program refreshes the site daily. The tree is locked behind a password and its contents are encrypted.