ManyRoads Tutorials

Understanding AI Hallucination in Your Research

• by Mark Rabideau- Many-Roads Genealogy https://many-roads.com
• eirenicon llc.
• 711 Nob Hill Trail - Franktown, Colorado 80116
• +1.303.660.9400
• genealogy@many-roads.com

(Identify & Manage It for Historical/Genealogical Work)

AI tools are incredible assistants, but they can sometimes "hallucinate" – meaning they generate information that sounds convincing and plausible but is factually incorrect, fabricated, or a misrepresentation of real data. This is a critical concept to grasp in historical and genealogical research where accuracy is paramount. (Note: The term "hallucination" is widely used in AI literature to describe these confident but wrong outputs—it's not a perfect metaphor, but it highlights the risk of "seeing" things that aren't there.)

1. What is AI Hallucination?

Imagine AI as a very clever writer who's excellent at predicting the next word or phrase in a sentence, based on patterns learned from vast amounts of text. Sometimes, in its effort to be helpful and complete, it invents information that fits the pattern but isn't true in reality. It's not lying intentionally; it's just generating what seems statistically probable based on its training, without truly "knowing" if it's factual.

• Example: An AI might invent a specific date of birth for an ancestor (e.g., "Born March 15, 1842, in a small cabin near the Ohio River"), a detailed event from their life, or even a source citation that doesn't exist, all while sounding highly confident. In 2025, a common hallucination might be attributing a 1930s ancestor with using a smartphone.

2. How to Identify AI Hallucinations (Red Flags):

When using AI for historical or genealogical research, be alert for these signs. Think of them as warning lights on your family tree—slow down and check!

• Missing or Generic Sources: The AI provides information without any specific source, or cites vague, unhelpful ones (e.g., "historical records" without specific details like a census year or archive name).
• Invented Sources: The AI provides a specific source citation (e.g., "Smith's 1880 Genealogy of the County," or a URL) that, upon checking, proves to be non-existent or irrelevant.
• Too Good to Be True Details: The AI offers incredibly precise or elaborate details about an ancestor or event that seem to fill a historical gap almost too perfectly (e.g., a vivid story about your great-grandpa's "secret 1940s radio broadcast" with no prior trace).
• Contradictions: The AI's output conflicts with well-established historical facts or other verified records you possess (e.g., claiming an event happened in 1920 when you know it was 1910).
• Anachronisms: The AI mentions technologies, customs, or concepts that did not exist during the historical period it's discussing (e.g., your 1800s ancestor using a smartphone or a 1950s ancestor streaming video).
• Overly Confident Tone: While not a direct sign of hallucination, an AI's highly assertive tone (e.g., "This is absolutely true!") can sometimes mask inaccurate information—always question the enthusiasm.

3. How to Manage and Mitigate AI Hallucinations:

Your role as a human researcher is to be the ultimate fact-checker and quality controller. AI is like a enthusiastic research buddy—full of ideas, but you hold the reins.

• Always Verify, Verify, Verify: This is the golden rule. Treat any information from an AI as a hint or a lead, not a fact. Immediately cross-reference it with primary sources (original documents like birth certificates or letters) and reputable secondary sources (books or trusted databases like FamilySearch’s 2025 updates).
• Prioritize Real-World Sources: If the AI suggests a record, go find that actual record yourself. Don’t rely on the AI's summary or interpretation without seeing the original—sites like MyHeritage’s Record Matches (updated 2025) make this easy and free.
• Ask Specific, Source-Oriented Prompts: When using conversational AIs (like ChatGPT or me, Grok), include instructions like: "Provide sources for every piece of information," "Only use information from the text I provide," or "If you don’t know, say 'I don’t know' instead of guessing." This keeps the AI on a tighter leash.
• Use Tools Designed for Verifiability: Opt for AI tools like Perplexity AI (which cites sources inline) or specialized historical ones like Transkribus (great for transcribing old handwritten documents without much "creativity"). In 2025, FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search AI (https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/full-text-search) minimizes hallucinations by sticking to transcripts.
• Document AI Use: Make a habit of noting when information comes from an AI and ensuring it’s clearly marked as "AI-generated, not yet verified" in your research notes (e.g., in a simple spreadsheet) until you can confirm it with traditional methods.
• Understand Limitations: Remember that AI is a pattern-matching machine, not a sentient historian or genealogist. It cannot feel, intuit, or critically analyze in the human sense—it's great at speed-reading the world's books, but you're the one who brings the wisdom.

By staying vigilant and maintaining your critical research skills, you can harness the immense power of AI while safeguarding the accuracy and integrity of your historical and genealogical discoveries. Remember, the best stories in your family tree are the ones built on solid ground!