A mother living in Abu Dhabi has drafted a will that would require her child’s future guardian to consult an artificial intelligence — currently specified as ChatGPT in the document — before making major decisions affecting the child’s life. The plan, called the Living Wishes Protocol, was reported by Khaleej Times.
What the Living Wishes Protocol proposes
The draft is a seven‑page document that frames the parent’s wishes as a continuous decision‑making framework rather than a static instruction left to guardians. It emphasizes that the AI would not become the legal guardian and would have no legal authority over the child; instead it would act as an advisory tool to help human guardians interpret and apply the mother’s stated convictions and preferences regarding upbringing and related matters.
Byron James, a lawyer at Expatriate Law involved in preparing the will, told reporters the intention is not to “recreate” the mother after her death or to hand over child‑rearing to AI. Rather, the objective is to preserve as much of the mother’s guidance as possible.
Decisions the guardian would consult the AI about
The draft lists specific types of decisions for which the guardian should consult the AI, including:
- school choice and school changes,
- academic matters,
- choice of residence,
- non‑urgent medical or psychological treatments,
- religious upbringing,
- contact and relationships with the mother’s family.
The guardian would be required to show the AI the document containing the mother’s wishes and to describe the circumstances relevant to the decision at hand. The draft is explicit that final decision‑making authority remains with the guardian and that the AI must not be configured to speak as if it were the mother.
Reviews, child involvement and emergencies
Under the proposal, the guardian would review the child’s education, health, wellbeing, friendships, interests and changing needs annually until the child turns 18, and would also assess whether the document reflecting the mother’s wishes still fits the child’s needs. The child should be included in the review process once they are mature enough.
The protocol would not be required in emergencies — for example, in urgent medical interventions the AI would not need to be consulted.
Legal status and raised concerns
The draft is currently under review by lawyers and has not been adopted as a court document. The report notes several open issues, notably data privacy and the handling of sensitive information, since the system would need personal details about the child. Another unresolved issue is what would happen if the AI as a service or technology became unavailable — for instance if certain systems were shut down for safety reasons.
The article also mentions that Anthropic has presented a package of proposals to U.S. lawmakers intended to make artificial intelligence safer, a separate development that highlights broader regulatory and safety questions around AI.
Why this matters
The Living Wishes Protocol offers a novel model in estate planning by integrating AI as an advisory layer to help carry forward a deceased parent’s values and preferences without delegating legal authority. At the same time, questions about enforceability, privacy, and the resilience of AI services remain unresolved before similar approaches could be widely adopted.
