Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the controversial rise of AI image "restoration" and discuss how entirely new images are being generated, rather than the original photos being restored. This is raising concerns about the preservation of authentic family photos.
They discuss Mark's reconsideration of canceling his Perplexity subscription after rediscovering its unique strengths for supporting research.
The hosts analyze recent court rulings that permit AI training on legally acquired content, plus Disney's ongoing case against Midjourney.
This week's Tip of the Week explores how project workspaces in ChatGPT and Claude can greatly simplify your genealogical research.
In RapidFire, the hosts cover Meta's aggressive AI hiring spree, the proliferation of AI tools in everyday software, including a new genealogy transcription tool from Dan Maloney, and the importance of reading AI news critically.
Timestamps:
In the News:
06:50 The Pros and Cons of "Restoring" Family Photos with AI
23:58 Mark is Cancelling Perplexity... Maybe
32:33 AI Copyright Cases Are Starting to Work Their Way Through the Courts
Tip of the Week:
40:09 How Project Workspaces Help Genealogists Stay Organized
RapidFire:
48:51 Meta Goes on a Hiring Spree
56:09 AI Is Everywhere!
01:06:00 Reading AI News Responsibly
Resource Links
OpenAI: Introducing 4o Image Generation
https://openai.com/index/introducing-4o-image-generation/
Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/
How does Perplexity work?
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352895-how-does-perplexity-work
Anthropic wins key US ruling on AI training in authors' copyright lawsuit https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/anthropic-wins-key-ruling-ai-authors-copyright-lawsuit-2025-06-24/
Meta wins AI copyright lawsuit as US judge rules against authors https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/26/meta-wins-ai-copyright-lawsuit-as-us-judge-rules-against-authors
Disney, Universal sue image creator Midjourney for copyright infringement https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-universal-sue-image-creator-midjourney-copyright-infringement-2025-06-11/
Disney and Universal Sue A.I. Firm for Copyright Infringement https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/business/media/disney-universal-midjourney-ai.html
Projects in ChatGPT
https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10169521-projects-in-chatgpt
Meta shares hit all-time high as Mark Zuckerberg goes on AI hiring blitz https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/30/meta-hits-all-time-mark-zuckerberg-ai-blitz.html
Here's What Mark Zuckerberg Is Offering Top AI Talent
https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerberg-meta-offer-top-ai-talent-300-million/
Genealogy Assistant AI Handwritten Text Recognition Tool
https://www.genea.ca/htr-tool/
Borland Genetics
https://borlandgenetics.com/
Illusion of Thinking
https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/illusion-of-thinking
Simon Willison: Seven replies to the viral Apple reasoning paper -- and why they fall short
https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/15/viral-apple-reasoning-paper/
MIT: Your Brain on ChatGPT
https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/your-brain-on-chatgpt/overview/
MIT researchers say using ChatGPT can rot your brain. The truth is a little more complicated https://theconversation.com/mit-researchers-say-using-chatgpt-can-rot-your-brain-the-truth-is-a-little-more-complicated-259450
Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Genealogy
https://craigen.org/
Tags
Artificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Tools, Image Generation, AI Ethics, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Meta, Copyright Law, AI Training, Photo Restoration, Project Management, AI Development, Research Tools, Responsible AI Use, GRIP, AI News Analysis, Vibe Coding, Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy, AI Hiring, Dan Maloney, Handwritten Text Recognition
