FamilySearch Launches Advanced AI Tools and Features for 2026

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FamilySearch is rolling out a suite of new AI-driven capabilities in 2026, including expanded handwriting recognition, interactive chatbots, and enhanced discovery tools. These updates are designed to improve document searchability, user support, and the quality of family tree data, while also broadening global record access and offering new educational opportunities.

Detailed Updates

• Expanded AI Handwriting Recognition: FamilySearch will deploy full-text search technology capable of reading old handwriting in more languages, making newly digitized documents searchable by ancestor name and increasing accessibility for non-English records 1.
• AI-Powered Interactive Chatbot: A new chatbot will search FamilySearch wiki, blog, and help content to answer user questions, providing real-time support and guidance for genealogical research tasks 1.
• Discovery Assistant for Research Suggestions: An AI-driven assistant will filter FamilySearch-generated hints, recommending which suggestions are most likely to extend family trees and streamline research workflows 1.
• AI-Assisted Family Tree Enhancements: The Family Tree platform will introduce features such as suggestions for potential parents and spouses at family line ends, quality alerts before edits that may reduce accuracy, and personalized recommendations for contributors to improve content quality 1.
• Global Record Expansion: FamilySearch will expand access to genealogical records in Belgium, Cameroon, Malawi, South Korea, and Uruguay, and has recently added over 168 million new records from 35 countries to its free archives 1 2.
• Mobile App Unified Search: The Family Tree app now offers unified searching across profiles, historical records, and memories, with further updates planned to enhance navigation for new users in 2026 1.
• Upcoming Events and AI Education: RootsTech 2026 will be held March 5–7 in Salt Lake City and online, featuring hundreds of classes in multiple languages. The FTM-SIG meeting on January 17, 2026, will discuss AI discoveries in FTM software for family history research 1 3.