Illinois had “no choice” but to intervene.
Democratic Representative Daniel Didek, who sponsored the bill in the Illinois House, told NBC News that “the legislation is designed to put up some guardrails and make sure we have some safeguards to protect us from some of the most devastating risks.”
However, Didek made it clear in that interview that he would never have sponsored the bill if the federal government had not delayed implementing meaningful protections.
“States shouldn’t be doing this,” Didech said. “The best way to control these types of catastrophic risks would be a federal approach.” But “the reality is that Congress has not yet taken up the issue, and technology is evolving at such a rapid pace that states have no choice but to intervene.”
Once Pritzker enacts the law, AI companies will be subject to its provisions starting January 1, 2027. While the law stipulates that there is no private right of action, any violations can subject companies to civil penalties.
Steve Wimmer, senior policy and technical advisor for the Transparency Coalition, worked with Illinois lawmakers on the language of the legislation. The website says their non-profit group lobbies to influence generic AI policies and advocates for AI technologies to be “developed and used in ways that prioritize safety, transparency, and the public well-being.”
In a post on the Transparency Coalition site, Wimmer said his group considers the legislation “one of the most important pieces of legislation in 2026.”
Pushing back at claims that such laws would hinder innovation, Democratic Illinois Senator Mary Adley-Allen, another co-sponsor, said her goal was to “put up minimal guardrails” to ensure that AI can be “a powerful tool for good.” By passing the law, Adley-Allen suggested that Illinois was creating a “roadmap for responsible innovation that prevents catastrophic risks” rather than hindering the explosive growth of AI.
“Senate Bill 315 is not about stifling innovation but about striking a balance between the great promise of AI and its potential pitfalls,” he said.
Didek agreed with Adley-Allen, telling Wired that the Illinois law could become a “testing ground” for AI governance that could show the federal government how to manage the risks as public distrust in AI continues to grow.
“Laws like this create a world where the federal government is more likely to pass something,” Didech said.
<a href