What We’re All Getting Wrong About AI: A Reality Check for 2026

Based on the latest legal forecasts and expert surveys, here are four truths about AI 

that might surprise you.

1. The Trap of "Auto-Pilot" Thinking

There is a strange paradox I’ve noticed: the more you trust an AI to do a job, the less you actually think about what it’s doing. A survey from 2025 found that when people are super confident in their AI tools, they stop applying critical thinking.

On the flip side, if you are confident in your own skills, you actually use the AI better because you're constantly checking its work. It’s a bit like the "ironies of automation"—if we let the machine do all the routine stuff, we lose the very judgment we need to handle the hard cases. We’re moving from being "creators" to being "verifiers" and "stewards". If we aren't careful, we’re trading our intellectual sharpness for a bit of convenience.

2. Why "Less is More" When You’re Prompting

We used to think that "good" prompting meant giving the AI dozens of examples. But by 2026, the models have changed. For complex logic, giving the AI fewer clues actually makes it smarter.

When you give too many examples, the AI starts "copying" the patterns instead of "thinking" through the problem. For a multi-step logic puzzle, you’re often better off just saying, "Let’s think step by step," and letting the machine's native reasoning take over. It’s a hard habit to unlearn, but sometimes we just need to get out of the way.

3. The Legal Mess of "Agentic AI"

The real danger isn't some sci-fi robot takeover; it’s a lot more boring—and a lot more expensive. We now have "Agentic AI" that can sign contracts and make financial transactions on our behalf. But here’s the kicker: the law hasn't caught up. If your AI assistant signs a bad deal, who is responsible? You? The developer? Right now, the courts haven't given us a straight answer. We’re in a legal vacuum where businesses are deploying these agents without a clear safety net.

4. Keeping an "Audit Trail"

Since the legal side of things is so messy, having a "human in the loop" isn't enough anymore unless you can prove it. We all remember that 2023 case where lawyers got in trouble for using ChatGPT to fabricate court cases. https://www.msba.org/site/site/content/News-and-Publications/News/General-News/Massachusetts_Lawyer-Sanctioned_for_AI_Generated-Fictitious_Cases.aspx

To stay professional, you need a transparent "AI Audit Trail". This means keeping track of:

• The Tool: Exactly which version you used and when.

• The Prompt: The actual, unedited words you used.

• The Curation: A log of what you kept, what you threw away, and how you verified it.

At the end of the day, your judgment—not the algorithm's output—has to be the final word.

The Architect’s Choice

Whether we’re talking about the "Confidence Paradox" or the mess of legal liability, the message is the same: AI is a human challenge, not just a technical one. As this technology becomes the new "architecture" of how we find and use knowledge, we have a choice.

Are we going to just live in a structure someone else built, or are we going to be the architects of our own thinking? 

For information sake, I retired from the pratice of law in 2014.

This post was written with help from Google Gemini and NotebookLM and based on the following sources:

“2026 AI Legal Forecast: From Innovation to Compliance.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.bakerdonelson.com/2026-ai-legal-forecast-from-innovation-to-compliance.

“AI Guidelines for Researchers | Wiley.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/publish/article/ai-guidelines/.

“AI Progress and Recommendations.” January 21, 2026. https://openai.com/index/ai-progress-and-recommendations/.

Blog, Pinggy. “Top 10 AI Models for Scientific Research and Writing in 2026 - Pinggy.” Pinggy Blog, December 21, 2025. https://pinggy.io/blog/top_ai_models_for_scientific_research_and_writing_2026/.

Data Quality for AI: How Enterprises Improve Accuracy, Reduce Bias & Scale AI in 2026. Data Governance. December 2, 2025. https://www.techment.com/blogs/data-quality-for-ai-2026-enterprise-guide/.

Digital Marketing Institute. “The Most Important Digital Marketing Trends You Need to Know in 2026.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/digital-marketing-trends-2026.

Dogaru, Mariana, Olivia Pisică, Cosmin-Ștefan Popa, Andrei-Adrian Răgman, and Ilinca-Roxana Tololoi. “The Perceived Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Academic Learning.” Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 8 (October 2025). https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2025.1611183.

Gerlich, Michael. “AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking.” Societies 15, no. 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15010006.

Google AI for Developers. “Gemini Deep Research Agent | Gemini API.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/deep-research.

“Hallucinating Law: Legal Mistakes with Large Language Models Are Pervasive | Stanford HAI.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/hallucinating-law-legal-mistakes-large-language-models-are-pervasive.

“How Countries Can End the Capability Overhang.” January 21, 2026. https://openai.com/index/how-countries-can-end-the-capability-overhang/.

Lee, Hao-Ping (Hank), Advait Sarkar, Lev Tankelevitch, et al. “The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers.” Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, April 26, 2025, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713778.

“Massachusetts Lawyer Sanctioned for AI-Generated Fictitious Case Citations.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.msba.org/site/site/content/News-and-Publications/News/General-News/Massachusetts_Lawyer-Sanctioned_for_AI_Generated-Fictitious_Cases.aspx.

McClain, Jill. “January 2026 State of Search & AI.” GPO, January 20, 2026. https://gpo.com/blog/january-2026-state-of-search-ai/.

Mineo, Liz. “Is AI Dulling Our Minds?” Harvard Gazette, November 13, 2025. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/11/is-ai-dulling-our-minds/.

“Perplexity vs Traditional Search Engines: Why Comet Wins.” September 5, 2025. https://www.timesofai.com/industry-insights/perplexity-vs-traditional-search-engines/.

Pohrebniyak, Ivan. “350+ Generative AI Statistics [January 2026].” Master of Code Global, September 24, 2024. https://masterofcode.com/blog/generative-ai-statistics.

“Stanford AI Experts Predict What Will Happen in 2026 | Stanford HAI.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/stanford-ai-experts-predict-what-will-happen-in-2026.

Team, DP6. “AI Agents and the New Content Ecosystem: From Indexing to Citation, Reinventing Digital Performance.” DP6 US, November 19, 2025. https://medium.com/dp6-us-blog/ai-agents-and-the-new-content-ecosystem-from-indexing-to-citation-reinventing-digital-performance-9d47921ace20.

“The State of AI in the Enterprise - 2026 AI Report | Deloitte US.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/what-we-do/capabilities/applied-artificial-intelligence/content/state-of-ai-in-the-enterprise.html.

“What Gemini Features You Get with Google AI Pro [Jan 2026].” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://9to5google.com/2026/01/16/google-ai-pro-ultra-features/.

More Reflections on Doing Genealogical Research with AI Assistance

 

Comment on this AI generated image: I realize that a substantial number of people use their laptop as their main computer, but many of us also have more than one monitor, a tangle of cables to various hard drives and peripherals, and other random items on our work desks including, but not limited to headphones, mics, random papers, cough drops, and boxes of tissues. So, this picture is far from reality. 

A comment to my last post on Facebook got me thinking. Progress with any type of research depends heavily on your own ability to do the research. When I first started looking for answers to my questions as a nine- or ten-year-old child, my "research" was limited to the card catalog at the Phoenix, Arizona public library. I soon learned not only how to find what I was interested in while using the card catalog, but what was missing from the library's collections. My involvement with research and libraries continued with my university experience as a Bibliographer at the J. Willard Marriott Library on the campus of the University of Utah. Both my studies and my job required constant research. My initial experience with computers began with learning how to code a Shoshone/English, English/Shoshone dictionary onto the mainframe computer also on campus. Here I am many years later still doing exactly what I learned to do starting as a young child. 

By the time I started my current genealogical research, now 44 years ago, I was already doing legal research as a trial attorney and had access to the Phoenix law libraries, the library at Arizona State University, and my own collection of books. I also, immediately upon their introduction, began using the various home computers beginning with a TRS 80. As the internet came along, it merely expanded my research interests. 

Fundamentally, to do research on a computer connected to the internet, you still need to know how (and also why) to do basic research. When all this AI started showing up online, I immediately realized that you not only have to know how to interact with the AI Chatbot (Gemini) but you have to understand the responses. Research is research whether you are seeking information from a book somewhere in a large library or from a chatbot on the internet. To put the concept of research into the most simple terms available, it is this: you have to ask a question and then go find the answer. Now with the internet and with some assistance from various chatbots, I will have more questions and even more answers.

Now a comment on the technology. I will use whatever technology appears to be the best at answering my questions. Today, that appears to be Google's Gemini and NotebookLM combination. But that may change tomorrow or even later on today. I use the same tests I used in the libraries long ago. I looked for something I knew existed to test whether the library or whatever had the information. 

Today, to test the AI responses, I use examples that I have been using for the past 44 years; my Great-grandfather Henry Martin Tanner and my most remote Tanner relative, William Tanner. In both these cases, I do some preliminary research using the Full-text search capabilities of FamilySearch for finding the initial "new" to me documents. I already know the questions to ask and what to expect if anything works. I have been using both these test subjects for years for evaluating search engines like Google and web browsers such as Chrome, Safari, FireFox and etc. The key here is that AI research is sort of like working with a mirror of your own research abilities. You only get back what you can add and ask. Otherwise, it is the same things I would normally be doing for research that I have learned over my lifetime. I realize this isn't a very comfortable response, but you do have to come to the table with your own skills before you can make much progress. AI mainly accelerates the process and gives you more to work with than you ever believed possible. But, it doesn't answer all the questions. You have to do the research work first and last. 

Finally, for this post at least, you need to realize the vast amount of knowledge that the internet and the computers do not have "digitized" for consumption. This includes the vast amount of information in libraries and archives that is yet to be digitized. Watching the growth of online research opportunities is like watching a giant backhoe tear down a building, there is a lot of noise and it is fun to watch, but the real work doesn't begin until the new building is designed and built and meanwhile you have a lot of garbage to plow through to get to the answers. 

Reflections on AI: Revising my opinions about doing genealogical research with AI

Beginning in December 2025, I became aware of the features of NotebookLM with my Gemini Pro account. Since then, I have worked on some extensive research projects using both Gemini 3 and NotebookLM. My main goal over the past 3+ years in consistently working with AI was to determine if a chatbot could do serious genealogical research. See Real Genealogical Research from FamilySearch Full-Text Search, Google Gemini and NotebookLM. 

Coupled with the FamilySearch.org Full-text search, NotebookLM and Gemini 3, it is now clear that this combination can assist in doing fully source-based genealogy as long as the genealogist using these tools has the knowledge and experience to evaluate the documents independent of any preliminary conclusions developed by the AI tools. However, in situations such as researching a remote ancestor with previously unavailable historical records, the ability of the tools to find and organize new information is invaluable. 

I would strongly suggest that such difficult research efforts will be aided my learning and using these specific tools. 

Announcing Family Discovery Day at RootsTech 2026

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/family-discovery-day-live-session-2026

 Here is the official announcement from RootsTech 2026.

Join the world’s largest family celebration at RootsTech 2026 Family Discovery Day, hosted by FamilySearch on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (MST), at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Enjoy inspiring keynote speakers, including Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, and Steve Young, an American football legend, along with free activities, games, and experiences for all ages. Select sessions will also be available online on-demand at RootsTech.org. Find and share this announcement in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

Family Discovery Day 2026 Keynote Speakers

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, will speak at 1:30 p.m. MST about coming unto Christ by uniting families for eternity. 

American football legend, Steve Young,  will speak at 11:00 a.m. (MST) and will share stories about his life and family. Family Discovery Day keynotes will be available both in person and online. Registration is free. 

Family Discovery Day activities are also free and will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (MST) at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Attendees will enjoy cultural performances, storytelling, live music, classes, and family discovery experiences. 

Family Discovery Day 2025 Classes

RootsTech Family Discovery Day classes will be offered in-person and online. Topics covered will include engaging teens in family discovery experiences, using your ancestors' stories to build emotional resilience, tips and tricks for using FamilySearch and other leading genealogy websites, a Q&A panel for those with Latter-Day Saint temple and family history callings, and more. 

Explore the complete list of RootsTech 2026 classes available at RootsTech.org. See Latter-day Saint Sessions for classes of interest specifically to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction

A 30-minute, pre-recorded training featuring Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Kearon will provide guidance for Church leaders on blessing members through temple covenants and ordinances. The instruction will be accessible in multiple languages and available on demand March 5, 2026, at ChurchofJesusChrist.org and in the Gospel Library app.

The Genealogist’s Secret Weapon: Why "Domain Knowledge" is the Antidote to AI Hallucinations

Not long ago, I found myself staring at a record review generated by a cutting-edge AI. It was fast, it was clean, and at first glance, it was impressive. But as I looked closer, I felt that familiar "genealogical itch"—the one that tells you something is fundamentally wrong even when the data looks right.

The AI had linked a family in 1700s Maryland to one set of records. To the AI, it was a logical match of the places, names and ages. To me, the dates and specific geographic movements were historically impossible.

In the tech world, they have a term for what saved me from that error: Domain Knowledge.

The Generalist vs. The Specialist

We often treat AI like a specialized researcher, but in reality, it is a "Generalist." It has "read" the entire internet, but it hasn't lived in the archives. It understands the probability of words, but it doesn't understand the "ground truth" of a specific time or place.

This is where the concept of the "Human-in-the-loop" becomes more than just a catchphrase. In our research, the AI is the engine, but we are the steering wheel. The AI can process a thousand deeds in the time it takes us to read one document, but it may not know that a "Third Great-Uncle" mentioned in a Southern will might actually be a cousin, or that a "natural" son carries a very specific legal weight.

The Integrity Filter

As we move toward RootsTech 2026, the term "hallucination" is becoming part of our daily vocabulary. We’ve all seen it—the AI confidently "invents" a parent or a birthdate to fill a gap in the logic.

This is where your years of experience become an Integrity Filter.

Your domain knowledge is the mental database of naming patterns, migration trails, and local laws that the AI simply cannot replicate. When the AI suggests a match, your domain knowledge asks: Was that road open in 1830? Would a widow have had the right to sell that land under the laws of that specific state? If the answer is no, the AI’s "discovery" belongs in the trash, not your tree.

Building Your "Domain" for the Future

If the AI is going to handle the "heavy lifting" of transcription and sorting, our job description is changing. We are being promoted from data gatherers to Architects of Context. To do this well, we have to intentionally build our "Domains":

• The Legal Domain: We must understand the dower rights and inheritance laws that governed our ancestors' lives.

• The Geographic Domain: We need to know the "Great Wagon Road" as well as we know our own neighborhood.

• The Technological Domain: We must learn how to "feed" our expertise into the AI, prompting it with the very context it lacks.

Moving Forward, Together

The theme for RootsTech 2026 is "Together," and I believe that applies to more than just our human kin. It represents the bridge between the machine's speed and the human's wisdom.

We aren't being replaced; we are being called to a higher standard of accuracy. When we bring our hard-earned domain knowledge to the table, we ensure that the stories we tell consistent with historical records. 

The "Aha!" Moment: A Case Study in Domain Knowledge

If you want to see another example of the difference between AI logic and human expertise, look no further than the "Same Name" trap.

In a recent research session, I asked an AI to analyze a specific family line. The AI confidently merged two different families because both fathers shared the same name. On the surface, the dates were "close enough" for a machine that thinks in probabilities.

But as a seasoned researcher, I saw the flaw immediately:

1. The Geography: The families lived in two distinct regions with no documented migration trail between them.

2. The Chronology: The birth dates of the children overlapped in a way that defied biological reality.

        Issues such as this one can be addressed by two rules or methodologies.

• The "Trust but Verify" Rule: Never accept an AI's "Match" without running it through your own geographic and chronological filters.

• The "Correction Loop": Use your domain knowledge to find an error, but don't give up on the tool. Instead, you should "teach" the AI by providing the specific domain knowledge it missed (e.g., "These are two different men because the 1850 census shows them in different states simultaneously").

When we correct an AI chatbot, we aren't just fixing a mistake in our tree; we are practicing the exact type of critical thinking that defines a master genealogist. We are proving that while the machine can find the data, only the human can find the truth."