Ethical Use of Ancestor Personas

Last Updated: 3 December 2025

ThroughTheirEyes.ai allows users to interact with AI-generated personas based on their deceased ancestors. This capability is powerful and meaningful—but it also carries responsibilities. This page explains the ethical framework that guides how ancestor personas may be created, what types of individuals are eligible, and the commitments we ask of every user.

Why Ethical Use Matters

Family history spans generations. Some ancestors are deeply historical, while others are people that living relatives remember vividly. Our goal is to help you understand your past without causing harm to individuals or families in the present.

Who Can Be Recreated as a Persona

Only deceased individuals may be selected as ancestor personas. ThroughTheirEyes.ai automatically enforces this through a safety review of every GEDCOM file you upload and a clear eligibility indicator in the interface.

  • Living individuals are always removed from uploaded GEDCOM files before storage.
  • Individuals who died within the last 50 years cannot be selected as personas. This helps protect the emotional well-being of living family members who may have known them personally.
  • Individuals who are parents of any living person in your tree are also ineligible.

These rules help ensure that ThroughTheirEyes.ai remains a tool for historical reflection—not for recreating people who still exist in living memory.

Your Responsibilities When Using This Platform

When you upload a GEDCOM file or interact with ancestor personas, you agree to:

  • Use the platform for lawful and respectful purposes.
  • Avoid generating personas of individuals who are recent, living, or otherwise inappropriate to recreate.
  • Respect the feelings, privacy, and dignity of living relatives who may be connected to the ancestor.
  • Ensure any information you share publicly does not misrepresent your ancestor as making statements they did not historically make.

How the Platform Protects Families

ThroughTheirEyes.ai incorporates multiple technical safeguards:

  • Living-person stripping: All living individuals are removed from GEDCOM files before storage.
  • Note removal: Free-text notes are removed to avoid accidental inclusion of personal information.
  • Eligibility rules: Recently deceased ancestors and parents of living people cannot be selected as personas.
  • Provenance transparency: Personas clearly identify which details are extracted from your GEDCOM and which are inferred.

Respectful Storytelling

The personas you create are interpretations—they are not literal reconstructions of the thoughts or beliefs of your ancestors. We encourage you to approach every interaction with historical humility, curiosity, and compassion.

If You Believe a Persona Should Not Be Created

If you encounter an ancestor in your GEDCOM file whom you believe should not be available for persona creation—due to sensitivity, family circumstances, or personal preference—you may simply choose not to create a persona for them. Alternatively, you can remove that individual from your GEDCOM file before uploading.

Learn More

For additional detail on data handling, safety rules, and platform commitments, please visit:

Thank you for helping us maintain a thoughtful, respectful environment for exploring family history through AI.