Plain English explanations of useful Artificial Intelligence terms.
Artificial Intelligence often comes with unfamiliar words and technical phrases. This glossary explains the most useful terms in plain English, with examples relevant to family history research.
You do not need to memorise these terms. Use this page whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word while using GeneAIlogy or another AI service.
The question, instruction or information you give to an AI. A clear prompt usually produces a more useful response.
Family history example:
Explain what this marriage certificate tells me about the couple and their families.
Background information that helps the AI understand your task, such as names, dates, places, record types and your research question.
Family history example:
Adding the place, year and type of record gives the AI useful context.
When an AI produces information that sounds convincing but is incorrect, unsupported or entirely invented.
Family history example:
An AI might invent a birthplace or relationship when the evidence does not provide one.
Computer technology designed to perform tasks that normally require human reasoning, such as analysing text, recognising patterns and generating written responses.
Family history example:
GeneAIlogy helps members use AI as a research assistant.
The underlying system that processes your prompt and generates a response. Different models may produce different results from the same information.
Family history example:
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot may use different AI models.
A type of AI that creates new content, such as text, images, summaries, tables or research suggestions.
Family history example:
Generative AI can turn research notes into a timeline or draft family history narrative.
A type of AI model trained on very large amounts of text so that it can understand instructions and generate written responses.
Family history example:
AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini use large language models to respond to genealogy questions.
A document, image or file uploaded to an AI chat so that the AI can examine or discuss its contents.
Family history example:
You might attach a census page, certificate, PDF or photograph.
Optical Character Recognition. Technology that attempts to convert text in an image or scanned document into editable text.
Family history example:
OCR may help read printed records, but handwritten text often needs careful checking.
The record, document, website, book or other material from which information has been obtained.
Family history example:
A birth certificate, census return or parish register can be used as a source.
The process of checking an AI response against reliable evidence, preferably original records or trusted sources.
Family history example:
Always verify names, dates, places and relationships before adding them to your family tree.
A tendency for an AI response to reflect incomplete, unbalanced or misleading patterns in its training data or in the information provided.
Family history example:
An AI may favour records or explanations that are more commonly represented online.
An additional question or instruction used to improve, clarify or expand an earlier AI response.
Family history example:
You could ask: “Which of these conclusions are supported directly by the record?”
A response arranged in a particular format, such as a table, timeline, checklist or numbered research plan.
Family history example:
Ask the AI to present events in a table with columns for date, place, event and source.
Information that identifies or relates to a living person, such as their name, address, date of birth or private family details.
Family history example:
Avoid entering unnecessary information about living relatives into an AI service.
The conversation area where you enter prompts, upload information and receive responses from an AI assistant.
Family history example:
GeneAIlogy creates prompts that can be copied into your preferred AI chat window.
Try a different search word or clear the current filters.
Verification is one of the most important parts of using AI for genealogy.
AI can help you organise information, explain records and suggest new research ideas, but names, dates, places and relationships should always be checked against reliable sources and original records.