Trying the New "AI Research Assistant" on FamilySearch (First Product)

One of the new FamilySearch Labs experiments is the "AI Research Assistant."  It was briefly described by Andrew Gold in the FamilySearch Global and Tech Forum 2025 panel at RootsTech 2025.

1)  When I opened the AI Research Assistant, it looked like this:

The screen offered me possible records for persons in my family tree profiles on the FamilySearch Family Tree on the left-hand side of the screen.  Alternatively, it provides search fields on the right side of the screen for any other person or relative.

I chose to do the first one on the Research Assistant list on the left side of the screen - "Possible Child of John Rich (1819-deceased)."  The screen showed me:

On the left side of the screen above is the top of the FamilySearch Family Tree profile for John Rich (GLFW-L5T, 1819-deceased).  I can scroll down to see his wife and children and his parental family.  It says he is married to Eliza (with no birth surname) and they have one child, Anne Rich born in 1852.  It also indicates that this John Rich is the son of John and Rebecca (Hill) Rich, my 3rd great-grandparents.  On the right side of the screen is information about the record and I can review and attach the record to this John Rich if I judge it to be correct.

2)  I clicked on the link for the record and it showed me a summary of the record with a link to the record image:

This is a church baptism record of a 10 year old Thomas Rich, son of John Rich and Eliza --?--, baptized on 2 June 1859 in the Wingfield, Wiltshire church.  Wingfield is about 5 miles west of Hilperton on the other side of Trowbridge.

If I had more information about the marriage of John Rich and Eliza --?-- then I would consider adding the record, and the child as a new profile, to the FamilySearch Family Tree.

3)  But, and it is a big BUT:

This purported father, John Rich GLFW-L5T is a son of John Rich and Rebecca Hill, baptized in Hilperton, Wiltshire in 1819.  I note that my own RootsMagic tree and the FamilySearch Family Tree has another John Rich (9KBD-BG5, 1822-deceased) who married Lydia Scott and had a family and all children were baptized in Staverton and Bradford on Avon in Wuiltshire.  

Usually, when there is a second child with the same forename as another child, it's very likely that the first child with the forename died befoe the second child was born.  I had no marriage or burial record for the John Rich GLFW-L5T and think it is very likely that child died before the second child named John Rich was born.  

4)  Another big BUT:

There is a second entry for John Rich (9KBD-BGG, 1818-before 1822) in the FamilySearch Family Tree as a child of John Rich and Rebecca Hill.  So John Rich GLFW-L5T and John Rich 9KBD-BGG and John Rich 9KBD-BG5 are all listed as children of John Rich and Rebecca Hill on FamilySearch Family Tree at present.  

A search on FamilySearch for John Rich baptisms reveal not only the 1818 and 1822 baptisms in Hilperton, Wiltshire as children of John and Rebecca (Hill) Rich, but also an 1820 baptism of a John Rich to Robert and Sarah (--?--) Rich in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, and an 1817 baptism of another John Rich to Stiles and Maria (--?--) Rich in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. 

5)  My conclusion in this case is that the John Rich GLFW-L5T who married Eliza --?-- and had Thomas is NOT the son of John Rich and Rebecca Hill, but is certainly the son of another Rich couple.  John Rich GLFW-L5T should be removed as a child of John Rich and Rebecca Hill.  Further research in the church records and censu records may identify the parents of John Rich GLFW-L5T.

6)  This AI Research Assistant works fairly well, but the user needs to be careful and check the entire birth family and the spouse and children.  

While this particular case was probably incorrect, it was chosen because it was the first case on the list, and not becuase it was incorrect.  If it was correct, I would have concluded that.  

Try it - it may work well for you on many of your ancestral families.  

7)  Some lessons learned:

• The AI Research Assistant is trying to help you find records for persons in the FamilySearch Family Tree that may be related to you.
• Be sure to click through to see the actual record - it may provide more clues for the family.
• Investigate other person of the same name in the same locality at the same time frame.
• Use critical thinking to evaluate the evidence at hand.
• Do more research in all databases (e.g. in this case, FamilySearch, Ancestry, Findmypast, etc.) to determine who every person is in the record at hand.
• Don't add the record to the persons in Family Tree unless you are certain that the record pertains to the persons claimed and analyzed.

NOTE:  This is the "first product" of the FamilySearch AI Research Assistant, that can be accessed from the FamilySearch Labs page.  

The "second product" of the AI Research Assistant can be accessed from a FamilySearch Family Tree profile.  See "More on the FamilySearch AI Research Assistant" blog post dated 12 March 2025.

For more information, read Ben Baker's comments below.

=============================================

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/03/trying-new-ai-research-assistant-on.html

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.    I moderate all comments and they may not appear immediately - please write only one comment.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.