Two relatively new questions are showing up in estate planning conversations more and more: what happens to my digital accounts and cryptocurrency when I die, and can I just use an AI tool to write my will? The honest answers are more nuanced than either “don’t worry about it” or “yes, absolutely.”

**Digital assets.** Cryptocurrency, online banking and investment accounts, domain names, social media, photo libraries stored in the cloud — these are real assets (or, in the case of accounts, access points to real value) that a traditional estate plan can easily overlook. Two problems come up repeatedly: no one else knows the assets exist, and even if they do, they can’t access them without credentials the deceased never documented anywhere.

A modern estate plan should specifically address digital assets: an inventory (kept securely, updated periodically, and stored somewhere your personal representative can find it — not just in your head), and explicit authorization in your estate planning documents for your representative to access and manage digital accounts, which many platforms otherwise restrict without it.

**AI-generated documents.** Tools that generate wills or other estate planning documents from a questionnaire have become widely available and, understandably, appealing — they’re fast and inexpensive. But a document’s validity doesn’t depend on how it was drafted; it depends on whether it meets your state’s specific legal requirements for execution (proper signing, witnessing, and in some cases notarization) and whether it actually reflects a correct understanding of how your specific assets and family situation should be handled.

An AI-generated draft isn’t automatically invalid — but it also isn’t automatically correct for your circumstances, and a document that looks complete can still miss requirements that only become apparent when it’s actually needed. The risk isn’t in using technology to get started; it’s in treating a generated draft as finished without someone qualified reviewing whether it actually holds up.

**The practical takeaway.** Use whatever tools help you organize your thinking and gather your information — but have the final documents reviewed by an attorney familiar with your state’s requirements before you rely on them.

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Attorney Advertising. This post is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. No representation is made that the quality of legal services performed is greater than that of other lawyers. Laws vary by state and change over time — consult an attorney about your specific situation before acting on anything here.