Divorce is no cakewalk at any age. But when you confront it before your frontal lobe’s fully developed, a legal separation demands an extra amount of mental fortitude and self-reliance. Ask Britta, a 28-year-old art director who divorced her husband of two and a half years at only 24. “Getting married young, you’re very aware that people expect you to fail. Once you realize divorce is at your door, it’s tough, feeling like you’re fulfilling that failure. For me, there was a fair amount of friends and family who felt I had to justify my decision to them.” What made the experience a little less daunting were digital resources like Divorce.com and the now omnipresent ChatGPT.
“They made me feel as though I was able to handle the process on my own without having to invest thousands in legal representation. We had a very amicable divorce; there was no animosity and no complicated division of assets. We have no children and didn’t own any property, so we did the entire process ourselves without any lawyers—just online resources and assistance from our county clerk’s office. I used ChatGPT to help us draft one of the final papers needed and Divorce.com to help get the initial documents started.”
Britta’s AI-reliant approach to divorce isn’t rare. In fact, it’s a rising trend among Gen Z divorcées, a group I was surprised to learn existed at all (as someone who still gets a jump scare every time one of my peers posts an engagement announcement). Per the official data, this age group’s projected marriage rate is comparatively lower than that of previous generations at a similar age.
But while married Gen Zs may be in the minority, the oldest members of the generation are now in their mid- to late-20s, like Britta. Which means there’s been a reasonable amount of time for those who did marry young to decide those relationships weren’t going to work out.
Jackie Combs is an attorney who’s been finalizing high-profile divorces (like Emily Ratajowski’s and Chris Appleton’s) for almost a decade. She represents plenty of younger clients and has been fascinated by AI’s presence in their process.
“I’m seeing them turn to ChatGPT for legal issues and for help drafting agreements that they’ll then want me to look at,” Combs tells Cosmopolitan. I’m like, ‘Maybe we should do this the proper way.’ But it’s just a whole new world [we’re] living in.”
From what professionals like Combs and Kirk Stange, another domestic relations lawyer with Gen Z clientele, tell me, these young divorcées tend to approach the separation process with more autonomy and self-taught legal expertise than previous generations—the outcome of growing up with a constantly expanding supply of digital resources.
“There’s more information readily available for couples to define their rights and end things amicably, like Divorce.com and Hello Prenup,” says Combs. “And what I’m seeing in younger generations is greater financial transparency earlier in relationships. There’s a rise in couples getting cohabitation, prenuptial, and post-nuptial agreements. And we live in a digital age, so information about [those agreements] is much more [accessible] than it used to be.”
Rather than tap professionals for help outlining their rights and belongings during a separation, Combs and Stange say their younger clients will have bots draft said agreements and help them grasp complicated legal terms. But before you judge, both experts agree it’s not totally misguided for people to consult AI tools as a general information source during a split.
“It can be helpful when drafting basic documents like parenting schedules or communication logs, organizing financial information or timelines, and helping people emotionally prepare for what’s ahead,” Kirk says. “When it comes to understanding complex procedures, forms, and terminology, these tools can be empowering. They help people gain a sense of clarity around issues like custody, child support, or division of assets, often long before they’ve formally hired an attorney.”
Divorce is already arduous and draining—you have to dissect an extremely emotional issue in a sterile, legal capacity. It’s no easier the earlier in life you do it. And that weight feels heavier when complicated legal jargon and expensive lawyer fees are involved.
If there’s any room for an AI chatbot to make the experience more understandable and less intimidating, it’s no wonder digital natives are utilizing it. You might even call this use case inevitable. AI technology has had a strong footing in the love and relationships space for a while. Nearly half of Gen Z have admitted to leaning on AI for dating advice, and 41 percent of Gen Z daters have used an AI tool to help them break up with someone. But convenient and occasionally helpful as it may be, when legal proceedings are involved, people should seriously consider this technology’s critical limitations before accepting AI-generated information as fact.
“There’s always room for technology,” Jackie explains. “But my recommendation would always be to consult with an attorney to make sure that any AI-generated information that you are receiving is accurate and in line with the law.”
Kirk echoes this guidance. “No AI tool, no matter how well trained or designed, can replace the judgment, strategy, or empathy of an experienced divorce attorney. Divorce isn’t just about forms and filings; it’s about navigating human dynamics, advocating for a client’s unique interests, and making strategic decisions that affect the rest of their life.”
Even Britta admits her strategy was an imperfect one. “From a logistical perspective, frankly, even with digital resources, the process of filing for divorce on your own is still tedious. Hire a lawyer if you have the financial means to. While reviewing one of our documents, the judge said, ‘I hope a lawyer didn’t draft this,’ so I presume she immediately clocked that it was ChatGPT.”
If you’re wading through the murky waters of a legal separation, take ChatGPT’s advice with a grain of salt. But as a free tool that can make the process less overwhelming, it could reshape how people handle divorce for years to come. “Gen Z’s embrace of these tools is changing how we approach client education and communication, but it should be seen as a starting point, not a substitute,” says Kirk. “The need for skilled, ethical, human legal counsel remains just as essential as ever.”
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