Two years ago, I never imagined that my genealogy work would move beyond documents and timelines into storytelling. Yet, with the help of artificial intelligence tools and Randy Seaver’s ABC Biography process, I’ve discovered new ways to turn well-documented research into stories, songs, and audio overviews that bring ancestors to life in unexpected ways.
Today’s post features my second great-grandfather, Edward Grant Briles, shared through two different AI-generated formats. Using his narrative report as the foundation, I created a song with Suno.com and an audio overview with Google Notebook LM, then paired each with visuals and uploaded the finished videos to YouTube. Together, they offer a creative and engaging way to experience Edward’s life beyond the written page.
Below is Edward Grant Briles’s story told through song. The lyrics were written by ChatGPT, and the song was created using Suno.com.
Below is an AI-generated audio overview of Edward Grant Briles, created with Google Notebook LM using his RootsMagic narrative report and illustrated with an infographic generated from that same research.
Conclusion
These two videos show how the same body of genealogical research can be shared in very different—and very accessible—ways. Using Edward Grant Briles’s narrative report as the foundation, AI tools made it possible to turn documented facts into both a song and an audio overview, each highlighting different aspects of his life and times.
Neither format replaces traditional genealogy work, but both build on it. The research remains the anchor, while the creative outputs make the story easier to listen to, share, and enjoy—especially for family members who may never read a full narrative report. For me, this is where AI fits best in genealogy: not as a shortcut, but as a way to extend the reach of careful research.
As I continue experimenting with ABC Biographies and AI tools, my goal remains the same—to preserve accurate family history while finding new ways to tell the stories of the people behind the records. Edward Grant Briles’s life is just one example of how those stories can move beyond the page and into sound, images, and memory.