Regular readers of my blog may have noticed that I often mention writing a book. Yes, step by step, I am documenting the results of a long-term genealogical research project in a family history book.
This week, I decided to experiment with AI tools and see if they could assist in the writing process.
The Advantages of AI Tools
AI tools are developing rapidly, and changes are happening continuously. I can't keep track of everything, but I have recognized that AI is an excellent assistant in several aspects of my work:
Text Translation
AI translates texts into English very well. Of course, the translations need to be reviewed, and special attention must be given to translating certain historical terms. Often, precise translations are not possible, and some terms need to be explained in longer texts.
For example, I haven't found a completely suitable translation for the word pagasts. The term parish is commonly used, but it also refers to a church congregation, which is not the same. In this case, I adopted Antra Celmiņa’s translation Civil Parish, as it more accurately indicates that the term does not refer to a religious parish. If AI is instructed to translate pagasts as Civil Parish, it takes this into account and applies it correctly.
Image Generation
AI-generated images can be used for various purposes. When generating images for blog posts, the most amusing challenge is trying to recreate historical Latvian scenes. AI knows so little about Latvia that churches often resemble English ones, while peasants' clothing looks more like that of Russian peasants. However, AI is learning, and at some point, we may need to be cautious to ensure generated images are not mistaken for real historical photographs.
My Experience with Claude.ai
I chose to use Claude.ai after reading reviews that it was more intelligent and creative in text composition. ChatGPT’s responses were described as more general and generic.
I use the paid version, as it allows for processing larger amounts of information.
The family history book I was working on covered only past generations. Living individuals were not described, so I had no particular concerns about sharing data with AI.
What Did Claude Offer?
I provided Claude with my book draft—a lengthy text about various family branches supplemented with historical context. I asked for suggestions on improving the book’s structure and received several useful recommendations, such as:
Including a brief overview of the described families and the time period in the introduction
Adding an explanation in the introduction about how the book is structured and how to read it
Providing a short summary of each family at the beginning of each chapter
Highlighting the primary family homesteads at the start of each chapter (Claude was able to extract these from the text)
Adding a small genealogical chart at the beginning of each chapter
Highlighting personal names in the text to make navigation easier
Visually distinguishing historical context from the main text
Adding a timeline displaying key historical and family events (Claude even generated this from the existing text, although some corrections were needed)
Since I have neither extensive experience nor formal training in book writing, these were truly valuable suggestions.
Work Process
The work proceeded step by step. I asked Claude to revise the book one chapter at a time. There were two reasons for this: AI cannot process the entire lengthy text at once, and it was also more convenient for me to review each revised chapter individually.
Sometimes, I noticed that Claude had omitted longer descriptions I had included for historical context. For example, a detailed account of a local nobleman was removed. While it was not directly related to the family described, I found it interesting to explain how such individuals influenced my ancestors' lives in the local area. For instance, the fact that my ancestors could only purchase land in 1911 was directly linked to the personality of a specific nobleman who was unwilling to sell the land.
In such cases, I asked Claude to revise the text again, ensuring that the nobleman’s description was included.
At times, I had to remind Claude to consider the full book text and his own suggested chapter revisions. When I resumed work the next day, I had to reiterate the previously suggested improvements; otherwise, Claude might forget them.
From a time-saving perspective, I particularly appreciated Claude’s ability to extract essential information from the text and create an overview of family generations. Of course, I could have done this myself, but with Claude.ai, it was much faster.
I was also surprised when I asked Claude to check for errors in the dates provided in the text. AI indeed found an incorrect birth year that was listed after the person's death year.
What Should Family Historians Be Cautious About?
Given AI's capabilities in text generation, there is a temptation to ask it to write, for example, the history of a particular civil parish. However, a warning is necessary—large language models are masters of generating text, not necessarily providing accurate facts. Historical context should be written by researchers themselves rather than relying on AI, or one might end up with a fairytale instead of historical facts.
Other Possibilities
I am less interested in AI's ability to generate text from scratch, but this feature could certainly be experimented with. One could try providing only known facts and asking AI to write a descriptive passage.
It is also possible to request a transformation of an existing text into a different style—for example, turning it into an engaging narrative from a specific person's perspective.
Overall, I believe that AI is an good assistant for processing and structuring long texts, as well as offering creative suggestions. It is definitely worth collaborating with AI tools for these purposes.
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