MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet at RootsTech 2026

RootsTech 2026 brought together thousands of genealogy enthusiasts from around the world. MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet returned to the stage to share the latest developments across the company.

Watch the full session here:

He began with a new feature called Country Coding, released during RootsTech. This free, optional feature displays flags on your family tree based on birth or death locations, making it easier to visualize geographic patterns and migration paths. It also highlights missing information and helps guide further discoveries.

Gilad then introduced Scribe AI, a new AI-powered feature launched at RootsTech 2026. Scribe AI helps users better understand historical materials by transcribing handwritten text, translating it into their language, and interpreting the content. It can analyze photos, documents, letters, gravestones, and historical records — identifying people, places, dates, and context that may otherwise be missed. The feature is integrated across MyHeritage and is available from photo pages, historical records, or a dedicated page.

Looking ahead, Gilad previewed several features currently in development. These include Family Infographics, a visual way to present information from family trees, currently in pilot, and new AI-driven video concepts such as Life Tribute, Life Video, and Walk of Life, designed to turn family photos into meaningful visual stories.

In addition, Gilad shared updates on MyHeritage’s global reach. The platform is now available in 50 languages, with more on the way, making family history research accessible to more people worldwide.

He also highlighted continued growth on OldNews.com, which now hosts 438 million newspaper pages. MyHeritage recently published Spain, Names & Stories in Newspapers, a collection with 265 million historical records extracted from Spanish-language newspapers. Using MyHeritage’s AI technology, newspaper content is analyzed and turned into structured historical records, making it easier to search for people and connect them to family trees.

An additional collection, Netherlands, Names & Stories in Newspapers, is expected soon and will include 800 million historical records extracted from Dutch newspapers.

On the topic of DNA, Gilad announced that MyHeritage has fully transitioned to Whole Genome Sequencing. Instead of analyzing around 700,000 markers, the new technology reads 3 billion, providing a stronger foundation for more accurate DNA Matches and ethnicity results, as well as future developments.

He also shared progress on the DNA Accuracy Project, which will improve data quality across millions of DNA kits, and the ongoing Artifact DNA Project, which explores extracting DNA from historical items like envelopes and stamps.

Gilad concluded by demonstrating how MyHeritage continues to combine family trees, historical records, DNA, and AI to help users make discoveries and better understand their family history.

Watch the full session above, and for a complete overview of everything MyHeritage announced at RootsTech 2026, see our RootsTech Roundup.