Illinois Lawmakers Pass America's Strongest AI Safety Bill

The Illinois House of Representatives passed a landmark bill on Wednesday that would require frontier AI labs, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind, to have their safety practices audited by a third-party. This move could become the nation's leading check on the power of major AI companies, according to AI safety experts. If signed into law, the bill, SB 315, would be a significant step forward in regulating the rapidly growing AI industry.

The bill now heads to Governor JB Pritzker's desk, who has expressed support for the legislation, citing a need to hold Big Tech accountable. In a post on social media on Wednesday, Pritzker said he plans to sign the bill. The passage of SB 315 comes as Congress has yet to pass any meaningful AI safety legislation, leaving state lawmakers to take the lead in regulating the industry.

Illinois is not alone in this effort, with California and New York currently having the strongest AI safety laws in the country. However, Illinois' bill goes a step further by requiring independent auditors to verify that an AI lab is adhering to its own safety standards. This is a crucial distinction, according to Scott Wisor, policy director at Secure AI Project, a nonprofit that supported SB 315.

"We're in a situation where the AI companies grade their own homework," Wisor says. "Should SB 315 become law, Illinois would require an independent auditor to check whether the AI labs in fact adhere to their safety commitments." Wisor notes that AI labs could use the Big Four accounting and auditing firms or members of the AI Evaluator Forum to assess adherence to safety standards. The bill has garnered support from OpenAI, whose chief of global affairs, Chris Lehane, says the company's AI policy is now oriented around passing a series of similar state laws.

"The Illinois General Assembly has shown real bipartisan leadership in advancing SB 315 and developing a thoughtful framework for frontier AI safety," Lehane says in a statement. "As AI systems become more capable, clear expectations around safety, transparency, incident reporting, and accountability matter." Illinois state representative Daniel Didech, a sponsor of SB 315, says that state legislatures are playing an important role in shaping America's AI policy and acting as a testing ground for any federal laws that might come in the future. "Laws like this create a world where it's more likely for the federal government to pass something," Didech says.