Mori Magazine

The use of AI in genealogy and ancestry research raises several ethical concerns that should be carefully considered before implementation. One major issue is around privacy - genealogical databases contain highly sensitive personal information about entire family histories. Applying AI to analyze these datasets risks privacy violations if not handled properly.  

There are also ethical questions around how AI may influence perceptions of identity and family histories. AI programs designed to fill in gaps in ancestry trees could make erroneous assumptions or perpetuate biases. This could lead some people to form conclusions about their heritage that are false or promote harmful stereotypes.

Additionally, the use of AI in genealogical services provided on a commercial basis raises ethical questions around equitable access to technology and transparency around data practices. Underserved groups may not have equal access to AI-enabled genealogy services. And in general consumers may not fully grasp how their data is used and monetized when fed into complex algorithms.

Those developing and deploying AI systems for genealogy and ancestry purposes should proactively assess these risks and develop thoughtful governance policies that respect user privacy and autonomy. Independent oversight and auditing of these systems could also help ensure ethical best practices are followed as the technology evolves. By recognizing these ethical dimensions early and baking thoughtful safeguards into AI for genealogy, we can work to ensure these tools bring more benefit than harm as this emerging field continues to grow.