In researching individuals one can evaluate what information may be out there in sources which you may not be aware of by querying some of the AI systems.  The Gemini AI spit out the following synopsis for immigrant Jacob Kauffman.  This answer appears to be influenced by details present in WikiTree, specific books, and a couple of public ancestry.com trees.

The father of the immigrant Jacob Kauffman, born in 1737, is a subject of uncertainty and varying claims within genealogical sources. Based on available information, there is no single, definitively confirmed name for his father.

Here's a summary of the findings:

• Often Cited as Unknown: Several genealogical records and researchers, particularly those referencing Y-DNA testing, state that the father of the Jacob Kauffman born in January 1737 (often an Amish immigrant to Pennsylvania who married Elizabeth Zug) is unknown. Some accounts suggest his parents may have died during the immigration voyage. DNA analysis has reportedly shown that this Jacob Kauffman may not be related to certain well-documented Swiss Mennonite Kauffman lines.

• Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a Possibility: Some research, noted on platforms like WikiTree, proposes Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a potential father. This hypothesis is sometimes supported by Y-DNA evidence suggesting a close genetic relationship (such as father, brother, cousin, or uncle) between the two. However, this connection is often presented as uncertain.

• Other Names Suggested in Various Genealogies:

  • Hans Kauffman: This name appears in some online family trees, for example, on Geni.
  • John Kauffman or Johannes Jacob Kauffman: These names are also found in various user-submitted genealogies.
  • Andrew (Johan Andreas) Kauffman: This name has been listed in at least one family history compilation.      1     1.  Andreas Kauffman (1668–1743) - Ancestors Family Search ancestors.familysearch.org

• Conflicting Information and Ongoing Research: It's important to note that genealogical records can sometimes contain conflicting information, and the parentage of Jacob Kauffman (born 1737) appears to be an area of ongoing research and discussion among genealogists. For instance, some DNA research indicates a connection to a Michael Kauffman line, while ruling out connections to others like Andrew Kauffman or Isaac Kauffman lines from Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Due to these complexities and contradictions in the available records, it is not possible to provide a single, undisputed name for Jacob Kauffman's father. Researchers often caution that his parentage remains unproven.

• Wayne

Great advice Atticus.  People are now letting machines think for themselves and never give any thought about the answers.  As they say, AI is NOT the gospel.  Perhaps a tool, but should never be taken as the final word.  Think of all the garbage that is generated politically and socially to create conspiracy theories, lies, and false validations and that should give one something to seriously pause and think about.
Hoosierly Yours,

James G. Hermsen
8108 Laura Lynne Lane
Indianapolis, IN 46217
317-881-4600 main
317-679-1466 cell
Question Critically, Think Logically, Communicate Clearly, Act Creatively, Live Ethically.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 10:32:25 AM EDT, Atticus Beachy via List <list@maillist.saga-omii.org> wrote:  

Keep in mind that you shouldn't believe anything an AI says without external corroboration. When an AI doesn't know the answer to something, it will sometimes make up a reasonable sounding explanation (this is called "hallucination"). A good choice for sifting through online information is Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai/), which will search the web and provide you with the links where it found the information. You can then check the websites for yourself. 
Best,Atticus On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 6:22 AM, Wayne Kauffman via List list@maillist.saga-omii.org wrote:

In researching individuals one can evaluate what information may be out there in sources which you may not be aware of by querying some of the AI systems.  The Gemini AI spit out the following synopsis for immigrant Jacob Kauffman.  This answer appears to be influenced by details present in WikiTree, specific books, and a couple of public ancestry.com trees.

The father of the immigrant Jacob Kauffman, born in 1737, is a subject of uncertainty and varying claims within genealogical sources. Based on available information, there is no single, definitively confirmed name for his father.

Here's a summary of the findings:

• Often Cited as Unknown: Several genealogical records and researchers, particularly those referencing Y-DNA testing, state that the father of the Jacob Kauffman born in January 1737 (often an Amish immigrant to Pennsylvania who married Elizabeth Zug) is unknown. Some accounts suggest his parents may have died during the immigration voyage. DNA analysis has reportedly shown that this Jacob Kauffman may not be related to certain well-documented Swiss Mennonite Kauffman lines.

• Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a Possibility: Some research, noted on platforms like WikiTree, proposes Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a potential father. This hypothesis is sometimes supported by Y-DNA evidence suggesting a close genetic relationship (such as father, brother, cousin, or uncle) between the two. However, this connection is often presented as uncertain.

• Other Names Suggested in Various Genealogies:

  • Hans Kauffman: This name appears in some online family trees, for example, on Geni.
  • John Kauffman or Johannes Jacob Kauffman: These names are also found in various user-submitted genealogies.
  • Andrew (Johan Andreas) Kauffman: This name has been listed in at least one family history compilation.      1     1.  Andreas Kauffman (1668–1743) - Ancestors Family Search ancestors.familysearch.org

• Conflicting Information and Ongoing Research: It's important to note that genealogical records can sometimes contain conflicting information, and the parentage of Jacob Kauffman (born 1737) appears to be an area of ongoing research and discussion among genealogists. For instance, some DNA research indicates a connection to a Michael Kauffman line, while ruling out connections to others like Andrew Kauffman or Isaac Kauffman lines from Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Due to these complexities and contradictions in the available records, it is not possible to provide a single, undisputed name for Jacob Kauffman's father. Researchers often caution that his parentage remains unproven.

• Wayne

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Dick Moyer
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From: James G. Hermsen via List list@maillist.saga-omii.org
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 9:37 AM
To: Wayne Kauffman dna_wayne@yahoo.com; Atticus Beachy atticus.beachy@protonmail.com
Cc: SAGA ListServer List list@maillist.saga-omii.org
Subject: [List] Re: AI based research

Great advice Atticus.  People are now letting machines think for themselves and never give any thought about the answers.  As they say, AI is NOT the gospel.  Perhaps a tool, but should never be taken as the final word.  Think of all the garbage that is generated politically and socially to create conspiracy theories, lies, and false validations and that should give one something to seriously pause and think about.

Hoosierly Yours,

James G. Hermsen
8108 Laura Lynne Lane
Indianapolis, IN 46217

317-881-4600 main
317-679-1466 cell

Question Critically, Think Logically, Communicate Clearly, Act Creatively, Live Ethically.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 10:32:25 AM EDT, Atticus Beachy via List <list@maillist.saga-omii.orgmailto:list@maillist.saga-omii.org> wrote:

Keep in mind that you shouldn't believe anything an AI says without external corroboration. When an AI doesn't know the answer to something, it will sometimes make up a reasonable sounding explanation (this is called "hallucination"). A good choice for sifting through online information is Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai/), which will search the web and provide you with the links where it found the information. You can then check the websites for yourself.

Best,
Atticus
On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 6:22 AM, Wayne Kauffman via List <list@maillist.saga-omii.orgmailto:list@maillist.saga-omii.org> wrote:

In researching individuals one can evaluate what information may be out there in sources which you may not be aware of by querying some of the AI systems.  The Gemini AI spit out the following synopsis for immigrant Jacob Kauffman.  This answer appears to be influenced by details present in WikiTree, specific books, and a couple of public ancestry.com trees.

The father of the immigrant Jacob Kauffman, born in 1737, is a subject of uncertainty and varying claims within genealogical sources. Based on available information, there is no single, definitively confirmed name for his father.

Here's a summary of the findings:

• Often Cited as Unknown: Several genealogical records and researchers, particularly those referencing Y-DNA testing, state that the father of the Jacob Kauffman born in January 1737 (often an Amish immigrant to Pennsylvania who married Elizabeth Zug) is unknown. Some accounts suggest his parents may have died during the immigration voyage. DNA analysis has reportedly shown that this Jacob Kauffman may not be related to certain well-documented Swiss Mennonite Kauffman lines.
• Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a Possibility: Some research, noted on platforms like WikiTree, proposes Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a potential father. This hypothesis is sometimes supported by Y-DNA evidence suggesting a close genetic relationship (such as father, brother, cousin, or uncle) between the two. However, this connection is often presented as uncertain.
• Other Names Suggested in Various Genealogies:

 *   Hans Kauffman: This name appears in some online family trees, for example, on Geni.
 *   John Kauffman or Johannes Jacob Kauffman: These names are also found in various user-submitted genealogies.
 *   Andrew (Johan Andreas) Kauffman: This name has been listed in at least one family history compilation. 1

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5T3-77X/andreas-kauffman-1668-1743

1. Andreas Kauffman (1668-1743) - Ancestors Family Search https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5T3-77X/andreas-kauffman-1668-1743

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5T3-77X/andreas-kauffman-1668-1743
[Source icon]https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5T3-77X/andreas-kauffman-1668-1743
ancestors.familysearch.orghttps://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5T3-77X/andreas-kauffman-1668-1743

• Conflicting Information and Ongoing Research: It's important to note that genealogical records can sometimes contain conflicting information, and the parentage of Jacob Kauffman (born 1737) appears to be an area of ongoing research and discussion among genealogists. For instance, some DNA research indicates a connection to a Michael Kauffman line, while ruling out connections to others like Andrew Kauffman or Isaac Kauffman lines from Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Due to these complexities and contradictions in the available records, it is not possible to provide a single, undisputed name for Jacob Kauffman's father. Researchers often caution that his parentage remains unproven.

• Wayne

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To unsubscribe send an email to list-leave@maillist.saga-omii.orgmailto:list-leave@maillist.saga-omii.org

Perplexity seems to have a more limited set of results.  The web search was visibly incomplete in terms of providing current and potentially more accurate results.   Getting links to rubber-stamped incorrect data lowers the value of the result.  Individuals may incorrectly assume the validity of the data due to a lack of understanding where the referenced results are incorrect.       The other AI systems also provide references associated with their synopsis but it is not as obvious to access.

Editors in the genealogical publication area are going to find it harder to weed out incorrect information due to how AI assistance can pasteurize and summarize data.  Additional peer review may be needed to weed out the fabrications or incorrect summarizations.

Last fall at work dear CoPilot indicated that the tone of some of my sentences could be deemed to be improper. I needed to do a smack-down. At times one should not sugar coat a message when a regulatory issue has been created where one should not have existed if the individual was following their training.  Having the AI manage content is not necessarily a good thing. Similarly late last year co-workers were reviewing resumes for an opening. It was fairly obvious that a large percentage of the submissions utilized the same service to fabricate the content and highlight their skills.  The same phrases were present across over 15 resumes.  Those were quickly deleted.

• Wayne
  On Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 10:31:42 AM EDT, Atticus Beachy atticus.beachy@protonmail.com wrote:

Keep in mind that you shouldn't believe anything an AI says without external corroboration. When an AI doesn't know the answer to something, it will sometimes make up a reasonable sounding explanation (this is called "hallucination"). A good choice for sifting through online information is Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai/), which will search the web and provide you with the links where it found the information. You can then check the websites for yourself. 
Best,Atticus On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 6:22 AM, Wayne Kauffman via List list@maillist.saga-omii.org wrote:

In researching individuals one can evaluate what information may be out there in sources which you may not be aware of by querying some of the AI systems.  The Gemini AI spit out the following synopsis for immigrant Jacob Kauffman.  This answer appears to be influenced by details present in WikiTree, specific books, and a couple of public ancestry.com trees.

The father of the immigrant Jacob Kauffman, born in 1737, is a subject of uncertainty and varying claims within genealogical sources. Based on available information, there is no single, definitively confirmed name for his father.

Here's a summary of the findings:

• Often Cited as Unknown: Several genealogical records and researchers, particularly those referencing Y-DNA testing, state that the father of the Jacob Kauffman born in January 1737 (often an Amish immigrant to Pennsylvania who married Elizabeth Zug) is unknown. Some accounts suggest his parents may have died during the immigration voyage. DNA analysis has reportedly shown that this Jacob Kauffman may not be related to certain well-documented Swiss Mennonite Kauffman lines.

• Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a Possibility: Some research, noted on platforms like WikiTree, proposes Carl Heinrich Jacob Kauffman as a potential father. This hypothesis is sometimes supported by Y-DNA evidence suggesting a close genetic relationship (such as father, brother, cousin, or uncle) between the two. However, this connection is often presented as uncertain.

• Other Names Suggested in Various Genealogies:

  • Hans Kauffman: This name appears in some online family trees, for example, on Geni.
  • John Kauffman or Johannes Jacob Kauffman: These names are also found in various user-submitted genealogies.
  • Andrew (Johan Andreas) Kauffman: This name has been listed in at least one family history compilation.      1     1.  Andreas Kauffman (1668–1743) - Ancestors Family Search ancestors.familysearch.org

• Conflicting Information and Ongoing Research: It's important to note that genealogical records can sometimes contain conflicting information, and the parentage of Jacob Kauffman (born 1737) appears to be an area of ongoing research and discussion among genealogists. For instance, some DNA research indicates a connection to a Michael Kauffman line, while ruling out connections to others like Andrew Kauffman or Isaac Kauffman lines from Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Due to these complexities and contradictions in the available records, it is not possible to provide a single, undisputed name for Jacob Kauffman's father. Researchers often caution that his parentage remains unproven.

• Wayne

I think you are to focused on the concept of "search."  What is being addressed by AI is the collection, filtering, and transformation of information into a more presentable form.  In some cases the transformation may lead to or result in new knowledge being generated.

Perplexity is based upon ChatGPT 3.5 and 4.0.  Standard LLM tools. It isn't necessarily the most current or capable solution present at this time. Genealogical "research" would be considered a niche area which current systems are not developed to address with a high degree of accuracy.  In terms of comparing available options you could start at https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/pro/   to see the differentiation present between the current LLMs.
I should note my negative bias concerning Copilot as Microsoft's attempt at "super Clippy". Yuck! It is being implemented to supposedly help optimize the use of Microsoft tools and the information they process. Context specific assistance. It has been hilariously bad at correctly capturing and properly processing information in a number of disciplines. Editorial suggestions for compositions may not be the greatest. Scientific meeting transcripts and summarizations need a lot of manual curation before being considered accurate. The presence of corporate or scientific acronyms and the corresponding alphabet soup of contractions are not processed well.  Glip glip glip.  No that is GLP-1.
Wayne
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 10:59:54 PM EDT, Atticus Beachy atticus.beachy@protonmail.com wrote:

Hi Wayne,
Perplexity has two modes. There is ordinary "Search" mode (the default) and "Research" mode (much more in-depth). You get 3 "Research" queries per day for free. If "Research" mode is also sub-par compared to some alternative you know of, please let me know so I can switch. 
Perplexity is great for collecting a large number of claimed facts, but in order to verify any of the facts you will have to visit the website yourself (and then decide whether to trust the website). Perplexity cannot do your thinking for you, but it saves a lot of time collecting and organizing a list of relevant websites for you to look at. 
Kind regards,Atticus
On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 6:14 PM, Wayne Kauffman via List list@maillist.saga-omii.org wrote:

Perplexity seems to have a more limited set of results.  The web search was visibly incomplete in terms of providing current and potentially more accurate results.   Getting links to rubber-stamped incorrect data lowers the value of the result.  Individuals may incorrectly assume the validity of the data due to a lack of understanding where the referenced results are incorrect.       The other AI systems also provide references associated with their synopsis but it is not as obvious to access.

Editors in the genealogical publication area are going to find it harder to weed out incorrect information due to how AI assistance can pasteurize and summarize data.  Additional peer review may be needed to weed out the fabrications or incorrect summarizations.

Last fall at work dear CoPilot indicated that the tone of some of my sentences could be deemed to be improper. I needed to do a smack-down. At times one should not sugar coat a message when a regulatory issue has been created where one should not have existed if the individual was following their training.  Having the AI manage content is not necessarily a good thing. Similarly late last year co-workers were reviewing resumes for an opening. It was fairly obvious that a large percentage of the submissions utilized the same service to fabricate the content and highlight their skills.  The same phrases were present across over 15 resumes.  Those were quickly deleted.

• Wayne