The Family History AI Show

The Family History AI Show


EP29: Perplexity's Comet Browser Revolutionizes Research, Grok 4 Released, Context is King, Google’s Video Generator Gets an Upgrade, ChatGPT Agent Launches

July 28, 2025

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Perplexity's groundbreaking Comet browser, which brings AI directly to web pages and can autonomously navigate sites to collect genealogical data.


They examine Grok 4's impressive benchmark performance while discussing its limitations for genealogical research and safety concerns.


This week's Tip of the Week introduces "context engineering" - the art of providing maximum information to AI tools through examples, documents, and prior conversations for superior results.


In RapidFire, they cover Google's Veo 3 photo-to-video tool, Silicon Valley's dramatic Windsurf acquisition battle, and OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent that can control computers autonomously.


Timestamps:

In the News:

07:47 Perplexity's Comet Browser: AI-Enhanced Research and Web Surfing

20:32 Grok 4 Released: Benchmark Success, Real-World Challenges


Tip of the Week:

27:53 Context Engineering: Maximizing AI Results with Rich Information


RapidFire:

36:02  Google Veo 3: Transform Photos into Videos

44:19 Windsurf Acquisition Drama: AI Consolidation Begins

53:58 ChatGPT Agent: Autonomous Computer Control Arrives


Resource Links

Official Comet Launch Announcement

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-comet


Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/perplexity-launches-comet-an-ai-powered-web-browser/


Every: Vibe Check: Grok 4 Aced Its Exams. The Real World Is a Different Story

https://every.to/vibe-check/vibe-check-grok-4-aced-its-exams-the-real-world-is-a-different-story


LM Arena Leaderboard

https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard


TechCrunch: Google adds image-to-video generation capability to Veo 3

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/10/google-adds-image-to-video-generation-capability-to-veo-3/


Windsurf's CEO goes to Google; OpenAI's acquisition falls apart

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/11/windsurfs-ceo-goes-to-google-openais-acquisition-falls-apart/


Every: Vibe Check: OpenAI Enters the Browser Wars With ChatGPT Agent

https://every.to/vibe-check/vibe-check-openai-enters-the-browser-wars-with-chatgpt-agent


TechCrunch: AWS is launching an AI agent marketplace next week with Anthropic as a partner

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/10/aws-is-launching-an-ai-agent-marketplace-next-week-with-anthropic-as-a-partner/


TagsArtificial Intelligence, Genealogy, Family History, AI Browsers, Web Navigation, Perplexity Comet, Grok 4, ChatGPT Agent, Context Engineering, AI Tools, Agentic Browsers, Video Generation, Google Veo 3, Windsurf Acquisition