For this week’s family history project, I turned to a pair of AI tools to help bring the story of Pauline Edith (Mentzer) Briles to life in a new and engaging way. Using the narrative details compiled in an earlier ChatGPT session, Google Notebook LM generated a clear and moving audio overview of Pauline’s life—her Kansas childhood, her marriage to Edward Osmond Briles, her devotion to family, and the many moments that shaped her long journey. To accompany that narration, I selected one of the infographics Notebook LM created from the same material, giving the video a visually cohesive backdrop.
Wanting a second perspective on Pauline’s story, I then turned to Suno.com, using lyrics crafted by ChatGPT to create a heartfelt folk-style song that reflects the rhythms, emotions, and themes of Pauline’s life. With another Notebook LM infographic as the visual foundation, this second video adds a musical layer to her story—one that blends memory, mood, and melody.
Together, these two videos offer complementary ways of experiencing Pauline’s life: one as a narrative, the other as a song. Both honor a woman whose story echoes through generations, and both highlight how modern tools can help us preserve and share our family histories in creative, meaningful ways.
Pauline’s Story
Pauline’s Song
Conclusion
Exploring Pauline’s life through these two videos reminded me how many different ways a story can be told—and how each perspective adds something new. The audio overview captures the steady rhythm of her life’s events, while the song weaves emotion, memory, and place into a tribute that feels both personal and timeless. Together, they create a fuller portrait of Pauline Edith Mentzer Briles, preserving her legacy in a format that future generations can easily watch, listen to, and share.