Yes, but it must not produce a deed that is ready to sign.
Its main role is to prepare the file: organising the client’s wishes, gathering the documents, spotting contradictions and bringing out the questions to be addressed with the notary.
In Switzerland, the authentic will remains subject to strict formal requirements. AI therefore makes the preparation easier, but it replaces neither the public official nor the witnesses.
The authentic will in Swiss law
The Swiss Civil Code refers to a will by public deed. Unlike a holographic will, which is written entirely by hand by the testator, a will by public deed is made by a public official in the presence of two witnesses, in accordance with Article 499 of the Civil Code (CC).
The testator informs the public official of his or her wishes, and the official draws up the deed or has it drawn up. The testator reads and signs it, and the official then dates and signs it. Next, the testator confirms before the two witnesses that the document does indeed contain his or her last wishes, in accordance with Articles 500 and 501 CC.
The witnesses do not need to know the content of the deed, but they attest that this declaration was made and that the testator appeared to them to have testamentary capacity.
The choice of witnesses is governed by Article 503 CC. Certain relatives of the testator cannot fill this role, and the persons involved in executing the deed cannot freely receive benefits under the will.
These formal requirements explain why AI remains a preparation tool: it can help build the file, but it cannot authenticate the deed.
Holographic will, will by public deed or contract of succession
Under Article 505 CC, a holographic will must be written, dated and signed entirely in the testator’s own hand. It is simple to draw up, but a formal error can call its validity into question.
A will by public deed offers a more formal framework and can be useful when the family or financial situation is complex, or when the testator wishes to be assisted by a professional.
A contract of succession follows yet another logic. Under Article 512 CC, it must meet the same formal requirements as a will by public deed, but it is based on an agreement between several people and cannot be freely amended by one party alone.
AI can set out these differences and prepare the questions to be discussed. Choosing the appropriate form, however, remains a legal decision that depends on the file.
For initial information before an appointment with the notary, see also our guide on legal AI for individuals.
What AI can prepare
AI can help turn scattered information into a clear file for the notary.
It can organise the client’s wishes, identify the intended heirs and legatees, summarise the family and financial situation and bring out the questions that remain open.
It can also flag points that require particular attention, such as earlier gifts, assets located abroad, a family business or uncertainty about statutory entitlements.
The notary thus has a clearer working basis before the appointment. They can devote more time to legal choices rather than to gathering information.
Other uses of AI in a notarial office are presented in our article AI for notaries.
Clarifying family and estate wishes
Preparation begins with the family situation. You need to identify the spouse, the children, any children from a previous relationship and the applicable matrimonial property regime.
Next, the wishes must be clarified: who is to inherit, which legacies are envisaged, should an executor be appointed and are there any special conditions?
AI can organise this information and compare several versions of a draft. If a wish changes between two documents, it can highlight the difference.
Above all, it must clearly distinguish what comes from the client from what has been suggested or reworded by the tool. The notary must always be able to identify the testator’s actual wishes.
Gathering the right documents before the appointment
Preparing an authentic will often requires several documents.
Civil status documents make it possible to verify the family situation. Any marital agreement is also important, as the matrimonial property regime affects what forms part of the estate.
You also need to gather information on the estate: real estate, bank accounts, life insurance, occupational pension savings and other significant assets.
Previous wills, contracts of succession and gifts already made must also be identified. They can affect the new deed and the calculation of the statutory entitlement or the disposable part.
AI can index these documents and cross-reference them. Interpreting their legal and tax effects, however, remains the professional’s responsibility.
The questions the tool must bring out
The aim is not for AI to settle succession questions, but to enable the notary to identify them quickly.
The presence of a spouse or descendants, for example, must be clearly flagged because of statutory entitlements. Since the revision of inheritance law came into force on 1 January 2023, parents no longer have a statutory entitlement.
The tool can also flag a problem between a beneficiary and a person being considered as a witness, or draw attention to an insurance policy or pension asset that already designates a beneficiary.
Finally, it can raise the question of an executor, the safekeeping of the deed or the possible use of a contract of succession.
These elements are used to prepare the appointment. The shares, the strategy and the final form are determined by the notary together with the client.
What AI cannot do
AI cannot authenticate the will in place of the public official, nor can it replace the witnesses.
Nor can it make a legal assessment of the testator’s capacity at the time the deed is executed.
For a holographic will, it obviously cannot replace the handwriting required by law. A text that is generated and then printed does not become a valid holographic will.
AI does not lodge the will for official safekeeping either, nor does it choose on the client’s behalf between a holographic will, a will by public deed and a contract of succession.
The document produced by the tool therefore remains a working draft intended to prepare the consultation.
Simple preparation before the notarial appointment
The method can remain very simple. It starts with gathering information on the family, the assets, the client’s wishes and the available documents.
AI can then organise these elements, compare versions and flag points that need checking: statutory entitlements, witnesses, gifts, beneficiaries or missing documents.
The prepared file is then passed on to the notary, together with the questions that remain open.
From that point on, the work remains human: the notary checks the file, adapts the draft, receives the testator’s wishes and completes the formalities required for the authentic deed.
Before sending the file to the notary
The draft must be clearly presented as a working document, not as a final will.
The client’s statements must be kept separate from the AI’s suggestions so that the notary knows exactly what the testator actually asked for.
You also need to check any proposed witnesses, questions relating to statutory entitlements, pension-related elements and documents still missing.
Finally, personal and financial data must not have been sent to a tool that does not guarantee an appropriate level of confidentiality.
After the death, the file is handled differently. This stage is covered in our guide AI for a succession deed.
Confidentiality of estate data
A will file contains particularly sensitive information about a person’s family, assets and wishes.
Before using an AI tool, you therefore need to check where the data is hosted, who can access it and whether the files are used to train models.
According to Silex, data is kept separate between organisations, hosted in Switzerland with Infomaniak and not used to train the models.
The stated measures are detailed on the security page.
What Silex brings to will preparation
Silex combines legal research in Swiss law with the analysis of the documents in the file.
With Silo, the professional can query the documents stored in the work environment and go back to the source document whenever a piece of information needs to be checked.
This method can help spot a contradiction between two versions of a draft, find an earlier gift or match the facts of the file against the rules of the Swiss Civil Code.
How the tool works is explained on the product page.
Validating the file and executing the deed remain entirely human tasks.
Silex in the notarial office’s tools
Silex can also be integrated into the software used by some professionals. The announcement Silex in WinLex and SkyLex presents this integration.
The Silex and MCR Solutions partnership also aims to integrate AI-assisted legal research into everyday work tools.
Other uses are presented in the announcements about Silex and EXPERTsuisse and Bordier & Cie.
In May 2026, Silex also won the Berlin semi-finals of The Pitch by Deel.
The solutions page presents uses by profession, while the pricing page details the various plans.
In short
AI can help prepare an authentic will by organising the wishes, gathering the documents and bringing out the questions to be examined.
It can neither authenticate the will, nor replace the witnesses, nor decide on the succession strategy.
Its role is to make the file clearer before the consultation. The notary retains responsibility for the analysis, the final drafting and the authentic deed.
To test this method on a succession file, you can book a demo.
FAQ
Can AI sign or formally execute an authentic will?
No. A will by public deed must be made by a public official in accordance with the rules laid down by Swiss law. AI is involved only in preparing the file.
Does the data in the file remain confidential?
It depends on the tool used. According to Silex, the data is hosted in Switzerland, kept separate between organisations and not used to train the models.
Do you still need to consult a notary?
Yes. AI can prepare the appointment and organise the information, but it does not replace the involvement of the public official required for an authentic will.
