‘Hundreds of people’ trusting artificial intelligence to write their will

Artificial intelligence, chatbots, robots and technology as a whole have advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years – but there are some things that are still best left to humans.

And many would consider writing a last will and testament to be up there. While it takes careful thought and consideration to get your affairs in order, it can also be an emotional time – and many people like to talk it through with an expert.

But now a chatbot, powered by artificial intelligence, has been introduced to write wills – and “hundreds” of people have already given it a go, the ABC reports.

South Australian taxation lawyer Adrian Cartland invented Ailira to fulfil everything from legal advice, to research, and now important tasks with clients.

It’s been set up in the Northern Territory town of Coolalinga, and its website’s official description states: “Ailira’s advice function works like a chatbot. Ailira asks a number of questions via text (or speech) like an interview. That information is collated and can be analysed to provide advice, and also automatically generate documents.”

It was set up to help provide cheaper legal advice to clients, and the descriptions clarifies: “Obviously it is not advice because robots cant give advice … yet. She is intended to be used by consumers of law for simpler questions, and not legal professionals (for whom the Research function is intended).”

According to the ABC, the function first began operating last November, and it carries a fee of $150 to get Ailira’s help.

Cartland told the publication it’s not trying to replace a human lawyer service however, and instead resembles the do-it-yourself paper will kits or stationery people can get to help them create their own will from home.

“With most legal will kits, people will come to a really simple question, for example, ‘can my son be the executor?’ And then they get stuck there … you’ve got no-one to ask,” he added.

However, he insisted, the bot won’t be suitable for more complex cases. Meanwhile, there are staff on hand in the office to ensure each transaction is safe, and completely legal for the client.

The website states: “Ailira’s research function uses natural language processing to reduce research time from hours to minutes.”

Read more: Machines will ‘take a third of Aussie jobs by 2030’: Study

It comes after a recent study claimed a third of Australian jobs could be completely replaced by machinery by 2030 – potentially leaving a large chunk of the population unemployed.

According to jobs site Adzuna, lower-skilled and manual labour roles are most at risk of being automated in the coming years, particularly in regional areas.

Jobs in South Australia have been deemed the most at risk, with a huge 41 per cent of roles on the line, while those in Sydney and Melbourne are safest, experts found.

Would you trust a chatbot to create you will for you?