EP41: MyHeritage Announces Scribe AI, Dave Vance Talks AI at FamilyTreeDNA, Full Text Search at Fold3, Wikipedia's AI Ban

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little open with a deep look at MyHeritage's new Scribe AI, a new AI tool that analyzes records, photographs, gravestones, and coats of arms and provides genealogy relevant research suggestions. It even works on your own photographs.This episode features an interview with Dave Vance, General Manager of Family Tree DNA, exploring how the hottest new genetic genealogy tests, provided by next-generation sequencing, deliver 400 times more genomic info than traditional microarray chips and what that means for matching, triangulation, and the future role of AI in genetic genealogy.In RapidFire, the hosts cover Fold3's AI-powered full-text search for Revolutionary War pension files, Claude for Excel as a practical AI plug-in for Microsoft's spreadsheet, and Wikipedia's decision to ban AI-generated article content.TimestampsOpening00:05 GRIP 2026 Course AnnouncementsIn the News05:03 MyHeritage Scribe AI: Record and Photo Analysis for GenealogistsInterview14:58 Dave Vance, Family Tree DNA: Next-Generation Sequencing and AI in Genetic GenealogyRapidFire45:54 Fold3 Full-Text Search: Revolutionary War Pension Files Now Searchable53:46 Claude for Excel: AI-Powered Spreadsheet Analysis Plug-in1:00:47 Wikipedia's AI Policy: Editors Vote to Ban AI-Generated ContentFinal Thoughts1:08:19 Episode Wrap and Next Interview PreviewResource LinksGRIP Genealogy Institute 2026 CoursesGRIP Genealogy Institute https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/MyHeritage Scribe AIIntroducing Scribe AI https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/03/introducing-scribe-ai/Fold3 Full-Text SearchRevolutionary War Pension Files: Now Available Through Full-Text Search https://blog.fold3.com/revolutionary-war-pension-files-now-available-through-full-text-search/Claude for ExcelUse Claude for Excel https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12650343-use-claude-for-excelWikipedia AI PolicyWikipedia Cracks Down on the Use of AI in Article Writing https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/26/wikipedia-cracks-down-on-the-use-of-ai-in-article-writing/Wikipedia: Artificial Intelligence Policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Artificial_intelligenceTagsArtificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, MyHeritage, Scribe AI, Family Tree DNA, Dave Vance, Next-Generation Sequencing, Genetic Genealogy, Fold3, Handwriting Recognition, Full-Text Search, Claude for Excel, Wikipedia, AI Policy, Record Analysis, Photo Analysis, Revolutionary War, RootsTech, AI Tools