Here are some of the more common questions we receive about Family Review. For more personalized help, please contact FamilySearch Support.
Why does FamilySearch use artificial intelligence to transcribe records?
It would take human volunteers many years to transcribe the historical records FamilySearch currently has access to. We are using artificial intelligence to accelerate this process and make more records available to more people.
How does Family Review help?
Artificial intelligence can transcribe much faster than a human, but it still makes mistakes and needs a human to review the information before it becomes searchable. This is what you do in Family Review.
The activity is called Family Review because you are paying close attention to all of the family members mentioned in the record and trying to document their relationships.
Does Family Review attach the historical records to the FamilySearch Family Tree?
No, it just makes the name on the record easier to find. But the person who searches for and finds the record could then add the name to Family Tree.
What's the white line on images?
Some images contain more than one historical record. The white lines show the portion of the image that the artificial intelligence identified and transcribed as a single record.
Where does all of the information for this activity come from?
The information that you review for this activity comes from historical records that were transcribed by artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence can transcribe much faster than human volunteers, but it still makes mistakes. Your review makes the names on the record easier for other people to find.
Can I choose the historical records that I want to review?
As with most of the activities on Get Involved, you can choose the general location for where the records come from. Once the location is selected, however, the records are randomly assigned to you.
Can I save a record and work on it later?
The computer automatically saves your work. You can quit at any time, and your contributions will be saved.
Why should I participate in Family Review? What is my impact?
By participating in Family Review, you are making it easier for people who visit the FamilySearch website to find their relatives, learn their family story, and connect their families.
In addition, any corrections or edits you make to the transcription help to improve the artificial intelligence so that future transcriptions are more accurate.
After I review one family, will I get the next record in the record collection?
It is possible but not guaranteed. It just depends on what's available and how many people are volunteering on Get Involved at any given moment.
If you’re interested in viewing the record that comes before or after, go to the Record Details page, and select the option for viewing the record.