Author uses AI to co-write family history with late mother

WEYAUWEGA – More than a century of family history came together last Saturday at Maasch Community Park, where local writer, photographer and teacher Michael Cooney distributed copies of his latest book, Immigrants: The Loss Families’ Beginnings in America.

The book chronicles the family’s immigrant generation, tracing their journey from northern Germany to the Wisconsin frontier where they settled in the Town of Mukwa along the Wolf River.

The new volume covers the family’s lineage from the mid-1700s to the third generation in America, detailing the interwoven histories of the Loss, Nelson and Henry families.

Unique about the book is its listed co-author: Cooney’s late mother, Eleanore Loss Cooney. Although Eleanore had been deceased for 41 years by the time the book was finalized, Cooney used artificial intelligence (AI) to write alongside her. By feeding her past writings and recorded memories into ChatGPT, Cooney said he “taught” the AI to replicate his mother’s distinct voice.

Cooney said this approach allowed him to expand on her memories and narrate portions of the family’s history from her perspective.

“My mother and I wrote the book together,” Cooney said. He joked that he occasionally pushed the AI-generated version of his mother beyond her comfort level, “but hey, she’s been gone for 41 years, so I can have it.”

Beyond recreating his mother’s voice, Cooney leaned on ChatGPT as a research and design assistant. He said he used the software to translate original German documents, explain the historical context of the regions their ancestors lived in and assist with the book’s historical illustrations.

Cooney distributed the books at a family reunion last Saturday and recounted some of the colorful and humorous anecdotes from the family’s past, including the unconventional story of how their grandparents came to be married.

In October 1905, Cooney’s great-grandfather, Adolph, and his 37-year-old grandfather, John, were left alone in their old farmhouse after the matriarch of the family passed away. By spring they realized they “needed a wife.”

John went calling at the neighboring Nelson home, initially interested in one of the Nelson sisters, Nelly. However, because Nelly was attending “normal school,” and unavailable, her sister, Effie, was deemed the “second choice.” Effie married John in September 1906 and moved in with the two men. She went on to give birth to eight children.

Cooney said the story highlights his “compassion for the women of our family” and the difficult realities and limited choices they faced on the frontier when few other options were available.

Alongside Immigrants, Cooney introduced a companion guide aimed at teaching others how to write their own family histories. He said he developed the supplementary book while traveling and speaking about genealogical writing at libraries throughout the state. This fall, he will be expanding these teachings into a short course at Fox Valley Technical College-Waupaca.

As family members claimed their copies of the book, one relative reflected on what the project meant.

“Your mom would be proud,” he told Cooney.