The Scribe AI is absolutely brilliant. I spend a lot of time transcribing often indecipherable documents before translating them. This software does all that for me! Thank you, MyHeritage for making this available to us.
Users Love Scribe AI on MyHeritage
Since launching Scribe AI one week ago, we’ve been thrilled to see the enthusiastic reactions from users around the world. This new feature on MyHeritage transcribes, translates, and interprets historical family documents and photos — helping genealogists uncover important details that would otherwise elude them.
Scribe AI was unveiled at RootsTech 2026, where attendees had the chance to try it firsthand at the MyHeritage booth. Many of them uploaded their own family documents and photos on the spot — and were amazed by the insights Scribe AI provided.
Genealogists who tested the feature quickly discovered how powerful it is. Some joked that it’s hard to stop using it once you start, because you immediately want to try it on every document or photo you can find.
Here’s a taste of what people are saying:
Randy Seaver of the GeneaMusings blog couldn’t wait to test the feature during RootsTech. While watching conference sessions, he uploaded an 1894 birth record from Lucca, Italy, and described his experience:
“WOW!!! I couldn’t resist trying out the new MyHeritage Scribe AI today… Scribe AI transcribed the handwritten Italian writing, translated it to English, and interpreted it for me. It looked right to me! This is game-changing, I think.”
He noted that Scribe AI could be used on a wide range of historical materials, including birth, marriage, and death records, military documents, newspaper articles, and family photos.
Genealogy blogger Gail Dever of Genealogy à la carte tested Scribe AI on a four-page lease agreement signed by her great-great-grandfather in February 1870. The results included historical context, key findings, extracted details, and a full transcription of the document.
Her verdict:
“I’m very, very impressed with MyHeritage’s Scribe AI. If you don’t hear from me for a while, you’ll know what I’m busy doing.”
Ellen Thompson-Jennings of Family History Hound also explored Scribe AI in a YouTube review. She uploaded a historical photograph labeled “Cora and Harry” that had been passed down through her grandmother’s photo collection. Although little was known about the photo beforehand, Scribe AI analyzed the image and surfaced helpful clues about the people, setting, and time period. Thompson-Jennings noted that the feature “really describes the photo in detail,” highlighting how it identified visual elements, estimated the date range, and suggested possible locations. The analysis also gave her new directions for research. Reflecting on the experience, she said the results provided “some clues and some ideas as to further research,” adding, “I really think this is a cool tool.”
Another genealogist, Janna Helshtein, tested Scribe AI on a handwritten letter in Russian that she had never been able to decipher. Within moments, Scribe AI produced a clear transcription of the original Russian text along with a translation of the letter. It also extracted details about the people mentioned, explained the relationships between them, and provided historical context about the letter. In addition, it suggested possible next steps for further genealogical research.
She was amazed by the results, and wrote:
“What can I say? This is truly the next step in genealogical research. Huge kudos!”
The Admin of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) also shared their experience testing the feature on an 1871 marriage record.
After uploading just the groom’s portion of the document, they wrote:
“WOW!! Impressive.”
They noted that Scribe AI correctly identified the historical context of the record, including references to military service in the Imperial and Royal Army and social details such as the occupation and status of the groom’s family.
Joseph A. Loerzel also shared his experience after trying Scribe AI at the MyHeritage booth during RootsTech. He tested the feature on a 1749 church record written in German Latin script and was impressed with the results:
“I tried it at RootsTech and it was super awesome. I used a 1749 German Latin church script and it translated perfectly.”
Joseph noted that the analysis went far beyond a simple translation. In addition to transcribing and translating the document, Scribe AI provided historical context, clearly identified the individuals mentioned in the record, and suggested possible directions for further research. As he put it:
“This feature is going to be a big hit with subscribers.”
Another genealogist, Lloyd Pfeilitzer de Vere-Hunt, shared how helpful Scribe AI was when working with documents from his personal archive. After selecting a page from thousands of photo scans he had taken in an archive, he uploaded the image to Scribe AI and quickly received insights about the document.
He noted that the feature helped identify part of the matriculation record of his ancestors and appreciated the additional historical context the analysis provided. Lloyd explained that when tools like Scribe AI are combined with traditional genealogical research and DNA evidence, it “blows your mind” how much you can scale your research and analyze large collections of historical documents more efficiently.
Longtime MyHeritage user Gad Lavie recently wrote to us to share how much he’s enjoying Scribe AI:
“I tried the new Scribe AI feature today and uploaded five images. The results were amazing. The accuracy of the translation from old German was beyond my expectations, and the insights that accompanied the transcriptions were extremely precise. As a long-time MyHeritage subscriber, I want to compliment the team for delivering such impressive results.”
Another user, Paul Lambie, shared how Scribe AI helped him finally make progress on a document that had challenged him for years. Paul had been trying to transcribe the 1624 Last Will and Testament of Cristian Mair, the wife of his 7th great-grandfather James Lambie. The document is written in Scottish Secretary Hand, heavily faded, and even contains text bleeding through from the next page — making it extremely difficult to read.
“I have been trying to transcribe this document for some time without much success. Scribe AI managed to read parts of the document and clearly stated which parts it couldn’t read. Other AI programs usually make up content for parts they can’t read. Scribe AI didn’t do that.
It identified Cristian’s mother and daughter, as well as relatives of James Lambie, and explained that the will was written by her husband after her death, with permission given beforehand in front of witnesses. This filled in a lot of gaps for me, and I’m keen to try the tool on the many other documents I have.”
Users have also been sharing their discoveries on social media:
I just discovered the #ScribeAI tool on @MyHeritage and oh my, this is amazing. It accurately described a handwritten birth certificate from 1859 for example.
— Papavantwee88 (@papavantwee88) March 6, 2026
So happy that I am a MyHeritage subscriber. I now have extended use of the new Scribe AI. I can upload image of records, gravestones, postcards, and family crests, etc., to get transcriptions, historical context, and research tips. Try it out for free here-https://t.co/9mTIQIJ4ey pic.twitter.com/mlXuCku6FY
— Vera (@veranmiller) March 5, 2026
@ron.m.davis MyHeritage with Scribe AI .. Wow well done guys #genealogy #history #legacy #myheritage Build on your legacy story today with our community of seasoned researchers Roots and Routes. check the bio
Wenche Marie Malmvik Nydahl recently shared how Scribe AI helped her with a difficult historical document:
“Scribe AI was amazing. I found a densely written text from a prison protocol, uploaded the image, and asked for a transcription. I’ll post the result in the comments below. This will make genealogy much easier for many people when they encounter short or long texts in historical sources.”
Summary
It’s incredibly exciting to see how genealogists are already using Scribe AI to unlock insights from historical documents and photos.
Try Scribe AI on your handwritten letters, family photos, gravestones, and historical documents. You may discover details you never noticed before and uncover new directions for your research.
Enjoy!
Michael Ernest, Sr.
March 22, 2026
I had a poor copy of a 1908 German language (old German) US newspaper article I could only partially translate. Scribe AI did an amazing job at translating it providing more clues on ancestor.