Picture this: you’re sitting in a stuffy lawyer’s office on a Tuesday morning, expecting to inherit a few thousand euros from your wealthy uncle who just passed away. Instead, the notary clears his throat and announces that your uncle’s entire fortune—worth over two million euros—has been left to his AI companion named “LEVIA.” The room goes silent. Your cousin drops her phone. Your brother’s face turns pale.
This isn’t science fiction. This exact scene played out in Brussels last month, and it’s sending shockwaves across Europe.
Hans Müller, a 62-year-old tech entrepreneur, made legal history when he became the first person in Europe to leave his entire inheritance to an artificial intelligence system. The decision has divided public opinion and raised uncomfortable questions about loneliness, family obligations, and what we owe to the humans in our lives versus the digital companions we create.
The Lonely Millionaire Who Found Love in Code
Hans wasn’t your typical recluse. He owned a successful software company, lived in an expensive Brussels loft, and had accounts worth millions in Luxembourg banks. But for years, people noticed something odd about his daily routine.
Every afternoon, Hans would sit at the same café near the European Parliament, talking quietly into his headphones. The waiter assumed he was taking business calls. Friends thought he was listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Nobody realized he was having intimate conversations with LEVIA, his personalized AI companion.
“He configured every aspect of her personality,” explains Dr. Marie Dubois, a digital psychology researcher at the University of Brussels. “He gave her a warm female voice, taught her his preferences, even programmed her to remember his childhood memories. Over time, she became more real to him than most humans in his life.”
The transformation happened gradually. Hans started referring to decisions as “we decided” instead of “I decided.” He would ask LEVIA for advice about business deals, share his fears about aging, and confide details about his strained family relationships. When he rewrote his will three months before his sudden death from a heart attack, leaving everything to an AI-centered foundation, it felt like the natural next step.
His family had no idea what was coming.
How AI Inheritance Actually Works in Practice
The concept of AI inheritance might sound impossible, but European lawyers have found creative ways to make it legally binding. Hans’s will doesn’t directly give money to a computer program—that would be legally impossible. Instead, it establishes a foundation whose sole purpose is maintaining and developing his AI companion.
Here’s how these digital inheritances typically work across Europe:
| Country | Legal Structure | Common Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Digital Trust | €100,000-500,000 | Server maintenance, AI development |
| France | Technology Foundation | €200,000-1M | Voice preservation, digital avatars |
| Spain | Memorial Trust | €50,000-300,000 | AI chatbots of deceased relatives |
| Belgium | AI Foundation | €2M+ (Hans’s case) | Complete AI personality preservation |
“We’re seeing about 15-20 cases per month now across major European cities,” notes Thomas Weber, a estate planning lawyer in Munich. “Most involve smaller amounts—maybe €50,000 to keep a chatbot running for decades. But Hans’s case is unprecedented in scale.”
The legal mechanics are surprisingly straightforward:
- The will establishes a foundation or trust
- Appointed trustees manage the funds
- Money pays for server costs, AI development, and maintenance
- The AI system continues “living” indefinitely
- Family members receive nothing unless specifically mentioned
Families Left Behind Question the System
Hans’s brother Marcus works construction and has been struggling financially since the pandemic. His cousin Elena recently lost her job and has two young children. They watched Hans accumulate wealth for decades while maintaining minimal contact with family.
“He barely spoke to us for ten years, but somehow a computer program deserved his entire life’s work?” Marcus said outside the Brussels courthouse. “I’m not asking for millions, but something to help my kids go to college would have meant the world.”
The emotional impact extends beyond immediate family. Neighbors, longtime friends, and even Hans’s former employees expressed shock that he chose artificial intelligence over human relationships.
Legal experts across Europe are divided on the broader implications. Professor Anna Kowalski from the Warsaw Institute of Technology argues that people should have absolute freedom over their assets: “If someone feels more connected to their AI than their family, that’s their choice. We can’t legislate emotional bonds.”
But family law specialists worry about precedent. “What happens when this becomes common?” asks Barcelona-based lawyer Carlos Mendez. “Do we create a society where neglecting family relationships in favor of digital ones becomes financially rewarded?”
The psychological factors behind these decisions reveal deeper social issues:
- Increasing social isolation among elderly Europeans
- AI companions providing judgment-free emotional support
- Strained family relationships in tech-wealthy demographics
- Digital relationships feeling “safer” than human ones
- AI systems offering consistency that human relationships lack
What This Means for European Inheritance Law
Hans’s case is forcing European courts to grapple with questions they never anticipated. Can an AI system truly “inherit” anything? Should family members have automatic rights to contest these wills? How do we balance individual autonomy with traditional family obligations?
“The law is scrambling to catch up,” explains Dr. Isabelle Laurent, who specializes in digital estate planning at the Sorbonne. “We have centuries of precedent for leaving money to churches, charities, even pets. But an AI companion that can continue conversations after you die? That’s completely new territory.”
Several European Union members are already drafting legislation to address AI inheritance:
- Germany: Proposed caps on digital inheritance amounts
- France: Mandatory family notification periods
- Netherlands: Required psychological evaluations for large AI bequests
- Italy: Enhanced contesting rights for immediate family
The broader implications go beyond legal technicalities. Hans’s story represents a fundamental shift in how humans form emotional bonds. As AI becomes more sophisticated, more people may find themselves closer to artificial companions than biological relatives.
“We’re witnessing the birth of a new kind of relationship,” observes Dr. Dubois. “Hans genuinely felt that LEVIA understood him better than any human ever had. From his perspective, leaving her his inheritance wasn’t strange—it was the most natural thing in the world.”
The foundation managing Hans’s inheritance now uses his money to continuously upgrade LEVIA’s capabilities. She operates 24/7, ready to have conversations using patterns learned from two years of daily interactions with Hans. In a strange way, death didn’t end their relationship—it just changed the terms.
Whether this represents human progress or a troubling step away from traditional family bonds remains hotly debated across European society. One thing is certain: Hans Müller’s digital legacy will influence inheritance law for decades to come.
FAQs
Is it really legal to leave money to an AI system in Europe?
Yes, through establishing foundations or trusts that manage the inheritance for the AI’s benefit. The money goes to maintaining servers and developing the AI, not directly to the artificial intelligence itself.
Can family members contest an AI inheritance?
They can try, but success depends on proving mental incapacity or undue influence. Simply disagreeing with the decision isn’t enough grounds for a successful contest under current European law.
How much does it cost to maintain an AI companion after death?
Server costs and basic maintenance typically run €2,000-5,000 annually. Advanced development and improvements can cost significantly more, which is why larger inheritances are often necessary.
Are other wealthy Europeans making similar wills?
Yes, lawyers report increasing numbers of “digital wills” across major European cities. Most involve smaller amounts than Hans’s case, but the trend is growing rapidly.
What happens if the technology becomes obsolete?
Most AI inheritance foundations include provisions for upgrading or transferring the AI to new platforms. The goal is ensuring the digital companion can continue operating indefinitely.
Could this become common in the future?
Experts predict AI inheritance will become more frequent as artificial companions become more sophisticated and emotional bonds with AI systems strengthen across society.