Is Good Enough, Good Enough for Estate Planning or Mushrooms?

A while back I was with a group of elder law attorneys. Our discussion turned online and GPT (artificial intelligence) designed estate plans. One of the attorneys related he had tried one of the methods and said it wasn’t bad—it was about 85% accurate. 

I found it coincidental that I had just heard that same number, but in a different context. 

One of my favorite past times is hiking in the mountains. Along the way, I love the sights, feel, and smells. And I have been fascinated by all of the mushrooms I see. I know there are many that are wonderful to eat; and others that are dangerous, if not deadly. 

I found an application for my phone that will identify mushrooms: You just take a photograph of it, it gives you the name of the mushroom, and whether it is edible or not. I went on a hike. A couple of mushrooms were giving me mixed signals on the app. I decided to read “the fine print.” 

The fine print said the app was 85% accurate. So, in theory I had an 85% survival possibility for relying on the app. 

I decided that was not good enough. 

So, I asked my attorney group what margin of error is acceptable in an estate plan? All agreed, none. 

I suggest when it comes to mushrooms and legal planning, the margin of error should be zero. While the attorney could deal with 85% accuracy, at least he has the training to correct the other 15%. Many do not have that training or knowledge.

Eighty-five percent is not good enough for mushrooms or legal planning.