Still in beta testing, AncestryAI is an option to provide historical and social context for some elements of the LifeStory feature on an ancestor's profile page.
Above, the early section of the LifeStory for my great uncle Abraham Berk (1877-1962). This takes the form of a timeline including family events such as his birth and the birth of his siblings, followed by his residential locations in chronological order, marriage, immigration, birth of children, occupation, and actually all events on his profile page.
Next to some of these LifeStory items is an option to Ask AncestryAI about a time and place in the ancestor's life. The AI summary helps add context to the ancestor's background. As shown above, here the AI is explaining what Lithuania was like in 1877, the year of Abraham Berk's birth.
Other options to learn more about a time and place include what would someone wear to a wedding then, what mourning customs existed then, what was entertainment like then, what local dishes were popular then (see below, about Lancashire's fave foods in 1901).
While much of the AI-generated info is general, it still is a helpful starting point for understanding an ancestor's life and can give clues to fleshing out a bite-sized bio with context. Worth checking out if you have this feature in beta at Ancestry.
Note: Yesterday's blog post looked at FamilySearch's Brief Life History feature. Tomorrow's blog post will look at MyHeritage's AI Biographer feature.
