Use AI to save family stories this holiday

The holidays are a rare time when everyone is at one table. AI can help you think of good questions to ask, and help you turn the answers into a short story to share.

Most families have stories that only one or two people still remember: how grandparents met, the first house, the recipe nobody wrote down. Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are a good time to ask. An AI chat can help you come up with gentle, interesting questions, and later help you tidy up what you heard into something the family can keep.

Ask AI for good questions

Tell it who you're talking to and what you'd love to know. Ask for questions that are easy to answer and lead to stories, not yes or no.

Example: "I'm visiting my grandmother for Thanksgiving. She's 88 and grew up on a farm in Iowa. Give me 10 gentle questions about her childhood, her first job, and how she met my grandfather. Make them easy to answer and start with the light ones."

Listen first, then write it down

Put the phone away and just talk. If everyone agrees, you can record the chat on your phone so you don't have to take notes. Afterward, type up what you remember or what was said.

Turn the answers into a short story

Paste your notes into the chat and ask AI to turn them into a short, plain story in the person's own words. Ask it not to add anything that wasn't said. Then read it back to the person and fix anything they want changed.

Things to know

• Ask before you record, and ask before you share a story outside the family. Some memories are private.
• AI can add details that weren't there. Tell it to stick to your notes, and check the finished story with the person who told it.
• Leave out things like addresses and birthdates if you plan to share the story online.
• Planning the meal too? See our Thanksgiving guide. Writing a yearly family update? See our holiday letter guide.

Also read: Plan Thanksgiving with AI

Also read: Use AI to write your holiday letter and card messages