People have always sought informal guidance before speaking to a professional. They ask relatives, search online, read forums and compare experiences with friends. Generative AI has simply added a new—and remarkably confident—voice to that preliminary conversation.
Recent research led by the legal reform charity Justice offers a useful picture of how the public is already using AI chatbots when facing legal problems. As reported by Today’s Wills and Probate, one in six survey participants who had experienced a legal dispute said they had used a generative AI chatbot for help, information or advice. Younger participants were particularly likely to have done so.
For professional willwriters, the important question is not whether clients should be using AI. They already are. The more useful question is what they are trying to achieve when they use it—and how a trained professional can build on that initial search without treating it either as a threat or as reliable advice.
People are often looking for clarity before certainty
The Justice research suggests that people use chatbots for more than answers to narrow legal questions. They ask for unfamiliar terminology to be translated into plain English. They want to understand a process, prepare for a difficult conversation or improve the wording of an email. Some use AI to obtain a second opinion on advice they have already received.
That distinction matters. A person who asks a chatbot about making a Will may not believe the technology can replace a professional. They may simply be trying to get themselves ready to speak to one.
Before an appointment, a prospective client might want to know what an executor does, whether stepchildren inherit automatically or what information they should bring with them. They may be embarrassed about gaps in their knowledge, nervous about discussing family relationships or reluctant to start a conversation involving death and incapacity. A chatbot offers privacy, immediacy and freedom from perceived judgement.
Used in that limited way, AI may help some people cross the gap between postponing a Will and taking the first practical step towards making one.
A fluent answer is not necessarily a sound one
The difficulty is that generative AI does not display uncertainty in the same way that a careful professional does. It can produce a clear, polished and reassuring response even when it has misunderstood the facts, overlooked a relevant jurisdiction or supplied information that is incomplete or out of date.
In willwriting, apparently small facts can change the advice significantly. Marriage, divorce, jointly owned property, business interests, overseas assets, dependent relatives, blended families and questions of capacity cannot safely be reduced to a generic checklist. Nor can a chatbot observe hesitation, identify a contradiction or sensitively explore whether another person may be influencing the client.
This creates a new challenge for practitioners. Some clients will arrive with no prior knowledge. Others will arrive with a neatly organised explanation generated by AI and a strong belief that the issue has already been settled. The latter may require more—not less—professional skill.
Correcting an inaccurate assumption without making the client feel foolish is part of that skill. A useful response is not, “AI is wrong; ignore it.” It is, “That is a sensible question. The general explanation is helpful, but these particular facts affect how it applies to you.”
The professional role is becoming more visible
If AI can provide definitions and basic explanations in seconds, it may appear to reduce the value of professional advice. In reality, it makes the distinctive parts of professional work easier to see.
A qualified willwriter does not merely retrieve information. They establish the client’s objectives, test assumptions and recognise what has not been said. They explain choices in context, keep an appropriate record and accept responsibility for the service provided. They also work within professional standards intended to protect the client.
The difference is not simply between a human answer and a computer-generated one. It is the difference between information and judgement.
That distinction should be central to how professional willwriters communicate their value. Marketing that relies only on access to knowledge will become less persuasive as basic information becomes easier to obtain. Marketing that demonstrates careful listening, sound judgement, clear explanations and proper safeguards will become more important.
AI can reveal where communication needs to improve
The research also contains a constructive challenge for the legal sector. People repeatedly asked chatbots to explain things simply and without legal jargon. They used the technology to prepare questions and make difficult conversations feel more manageable.
That should prompt reflection. If clients find it easier to ask a machine for a plain-English explanation than to ask a practitioner, the answer is not merely to warn them about technology. It is to make professional services more approachable.
Willwriters can respond by publishing clear introductory content, explaining what happens during an appointment, answering common questions without unnecessary terminology and giving clients time to raise concerns. Short videos, articles and frequently asked questions can help people prepare while making clear that general information is not a substitute for advice based on their circumstances.
AI can also help practitioners recognise recurring areas of confusion. If prospective clients regularly arrive asking the same questions, those questions can inform future website content, client guides and conversations. The technology may therefore become a useful indicator of unmet information needs—even where it is not the right tool to meet those needs on its own.
A practical approach for willwriters
There is little value in pretending clients will not use AI. A more realistic approach is to help them use preliminary information responsibly.
Practitioners can encourage clients to:
- Treat chatbot responses as a starting point rather than personalised legal advice.
- Check which jurisdiction and date an answer relates to.
- Avoid entering names, financial details or other sensitive personal information into public tools.
- Bring questions or AI-generated material to their appointment for discussion.
- Seek professional advice before relying on information to make decisions or prepare legal documents.
It may also be sensible to ask, without judgement, whether a client has used an online tool or chatbot before the meeting. This can expose assumptions early and allow the practitioner to explain where general information does—or does not—fit the client’s circumstances.
The opportunity is not automation but better engagement
The Justice study found that most chatbot users did not rely on AI alone. On average, they consulted more sources than people who had not used a chatbot. That suggests AI is often being used as one part of a wider search for help rather than as a complete replacement for it.
For the willwriting profession, that is an important point. An informed client is not necessarily a lost client. Someone who has begun exploring the subject may be closer to recognising the need for properly considered advice.
The profession’s task is to meet that person with clarity rather than defensiveness. AI may answer the first question. A professional willwriter must understand why it was asked, discover the questions that have not yet occurred to the client and help turn general information into a Will that reflects the person’s real life and intentions.
That is not a smaller role in an AI-enabled world. It is a clearer one.
Source acknowledgement: This article was prompted by research from the legal reform charity Justice, What AI Chatbots Can Teach Us About Unmet Legal Needs, as reported by Jessica D’Rozario in Today’s Wills and Probate on 18 September 2026: New study gives insight into public use of AI chatbots during legal disputes.