Half of adults would be open to AI playing a role in the will-drafting process according to the latest annual report from the National Will Register.
In the fourth year the National Wills Report 2026 has been produced, the results indicate more consumers would be open to the use of AI in will drafting – provided a solicitor formally reviews and approves the finished document.
The survey, which provides a snapshot of habits and attitudes towards will writing and estate planning amongst 2000 respondents, found 50.9% of adults would accept AI involvement in will writing in some form, although confidence varies depending on the level of human oversight involved.
Just over a quarter (26.6%) would accept AI drafting their will, provided a solicitor formally reviews and approves the finished document.
One in seven (13.8%) said they’d be happy for AI to produce an initial draft for a human practitioner to then develop into an executable will. One in 10 (10.5%) % said they were comfortable with a fully automated, end-to-end AI drafting process.
The proportion of respondents who would be open to a digitally produced document increased from last year’s report which found over a third of UK adults would have a digital will.
The 2025 report also found less than 40% of respondents had a will. In 2026 that number is 50.1% with a “clear and frankly expected return towards the baseline after an unexpected anomaly last year” said the report.
The same number of those over 55 said they had a will as in 2023. But the report does suggest “a general upward trajectory” of around six percentage points driven growth among 18-34-year-olds by approximately fourteen points, to 39.4% of 18-24-year-olds and 41.8% of 25-34-year-olds over the four years the report has been established.
“In fact, those in the 18-24 age bracket who had made a will were most concerned with making things easier for loved ones upon their death (51% against the 44% average) but also 13% said their main reason was to leave a gift or donation to a charity or cause they support (against the 3% baseline)” the report added.
Speaking about the findings in this year’s report, Karan Liddar, General Manager at The National Will Register said, “It is encouraging that more people are getting involved in writing wills and that there are several opportunities for the wills and probate industry to grow and help more people.
“AI is transforming professional services, and the wills and probate sector must lean into that momentum. Our findings make it clear that the public is ready to embrace technology to plan for their future which could help close the UK’s will-writing gap.”
The overriding sentiment amongst those without a will remains inertia with 47% of respondents saying the simply “haven’t got around to it”. A further 9% said the prospect of thinking about their death was “uncomfortable”.
More worryingly, said the National Will Register, 61% of respondents haven’t told anyone that they don’t have a will and 29% of executors or next of kin couldn’t find the documentation needed for easy estate administration, and a third did not know if their parents had made a will.
“Figures around the inertia and lack of direct communication regarding wishes after someone dies are not surprising but something that the wills and probate industry should address. The National Will Register through will registration and will search provides an avenue to ensure that wills can be located at the time they are needed, but people need to be proactive in taking up these tools and having these conversations, so their loved ones are not negatively impacted at an already difficult time.”
Will writing and estate planning in an AI world: The National Wills Report 2026
