Episode 301 Newspaper Research: Elephind and AI

Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 301with Lisa Louise CookeNovember 2025 GEM: The Return of Elephind.com Imagine having the power to access centuries of history at your fingertips. Elephind.com is making this a reality for genealogists and history enthusiasts alike. In this interview, we explore how this innovative platform is transforming the way we search for historical newspapers. Show Notes for Full Text Search and video replay. GEM: Comparing AI Chatbots for Newspaper Transcription This segment comes from the Premium episode of Elevenses with Lisa called Comparing AI Chatbots for Genealogy. The full episode is available as a video replay and Premium podcast episode and includes a comprehensive downloadable reference cheat sheet. Newspaper Transcription Takeaways: In this comparison, Gemini came out as the winner for newspaper transcription. LLMs are predictive, so they excel at the narrative, where words relate to each other. It struggles with names, where each is random. It leans toward interpreting names based on names that appeared earlier in the text (ex. Bruhn) Bonus Tip: After your initial result ask the chatbot to provide you with a worksheet if it appears there were questionable words. Prompt: Leave a blank space for each name you are unsure about that is large enough to accommodate me writing in the name when I print out your answer. Watch our latest videos on using AI for genealogy: AI: What is it and how to think about it (Premium) Comparing and Choosing AI Chatbots for Genealogy (Premium) AI Vocabulary Terms 10 Powerful AI PromptsAI Research Assistant at FamilySearch 6 Tasks AI Can Do for Your Genealogy (Premium) Nano Banana – Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Creating Location Guides with AI (Premium) AI: Gemini Gems (Premium) The free podcast is sponsored by: Get your DNA kit today. Visit newspapers.com/genealogygems to get 20% off your subscription. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium eLearning Member Gain access to the complete Premium podcast archive of over 150 episodes and more than 50 video webinars, including Lisa Louise Cooke's newest video The Big Picture in Little Details. Become a member here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today.