In my role, I spend a lot of time thinking about what “trust” means when money, grief and identity collide. By 2026, the real competition in our space won’t be who automates fastest or offers the most AI features. It will be who can still tell a legitimate executor, beneficiary or family representative from a manufactured persona.
We’re building with AI because the benefits are undeniable. But we’re also watching that same technology change the economics of impersonation. Synthetic identities and deepfake-enabled scams have moved from edge cases into constant pressure that slowly wears down controls we used to trust. On paper, identity programs still look strong. Under real-world attack conditions, too many become a thin perimeter that collapses once an adversary applies realism at scale.
In estate and identity-related work, that erosion of trust carries extra weight. A synthetic identity can easily misdirect distributions, delay rightful claims and drag families into disputes because the evidence trail looks “complete” even when the person isn’t real.
