SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is working to become a national leader in the realm of enhancing safety and privacy within the artificial intelligence space. During a press conference Wednesday, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus outlined their multi-measure package that would put forth protections against harmful AI outcomes as it relates to mental health help, identity security, price gouging safeguards and other areas that need more guardrails.
“Artificial intelligence is already shaping nearly every part of our daily lives, and Illinois cannot afford to wait for Washington to act,” said Bill Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This legislative package is the result of months of hearings and collaboration focused on creating responsible safeguards around AI, including consumer protections, data privacy, child safety and transparency in schools. Our goal is to help establish clear standards that protect the public while allowing innovation to move forward responsibly.”
To enhance commonsense guardrails on large AI companies – and in turn build public trust – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) is leading Senate Bill 315. The measure would require large developers – such as ChatGPT and Claude – to provide an independent, third party annual report explaining what mechanisms they have in place to mitigate catastrophic risks, provide transparency reports and report critical safety incidents. Further, it would require the companies to report a critical safety incident within 72 hours of learning about it, or 24 hours if the incident poses an imminent risk of death or serious physical harm.
“Artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool for good, but currently there are minimal guardrails in place. It's like the ‘Wild, Wild West.’ Illinois needs to create a roadmap for responsible innovation to prevent catastrophic risks,” said Edly-Allen. “Senate Bill 315 is not about stopping innovation, but balancing the great promise of AI with its potential harms. This bill will require large AI developers, like ChatGPT and Claude, to provide transparency and undergo independent, third party audits and honor whistleblower protections.”
Throughout the country, there have been instances of teenagers and young adults turning to AI during a mental health crisis. In some cases, the person confided in the AI chatbot about their suicidal thoughts – and a real person was never alerted. Under Senate Bill 316, led by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville), AI companies would be required to implement methods for detecting user expression of suicidal ideation or self-harm, work to prevent such harm, and provide a notification to the user that refers them to a crisis service provider, such at the 9-8-8 suicide hotline.
“We are seeing more and more people, especially kids and teens, turn to AI companions for emotional support and conversation,” said Ellman. “Technology should support people, not isolate them further during moments of vulnerability. Requiring crisis response protocols and clear disclosure that users are interacting with AI are simple, responsible steps. Illinois must be a leader in setting morally responsible guardrails for AI.”
When people turn to companies for questions or assistance, often they’re forced to talk with a chatbot rather than a real human – but with technological advancements, it’s not always clear who you’re chatting with. To increase transparency and accountability, State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) is leading Senate Bill 317. Under the measure, if a person is talking with an AI chat interface as it relates to trade or commerce, the consumer must be notified it is an automated system at the start of the conversation.
“Many consumers are growing frustrated by the lack of transparency and added difficulty as artificial intelligence becomes more common in customer service and online commerce. People deserve to know whether they are communicating with a human or an AI system from the very beginning of an interaction,” said Ventura. “While AI can be a useful tool for businesses, it should never come at the expense of meaningful human connection, accountability or quality customer service. This legislation creates a simple standard requiring companies to clearly disclose when consumers are interacting with AI chatbots, while protecting businesses from liability for third-party systems they do not control. Our goal is to protect consumers, build trust and ensure people can still access real human support when they need it most.”
Every time someone interacts with a website or mobile application, it holds onto the data – often leading to consumers receiving unwanted targeted ads. Under State Senator Laura Murphy’s (D-Des Plaines) Senate Bill 340, consumers would have the option to opt out of having their data used for such ads or sold to third parties. Further, it would protect people from being subjected to algorithmic profiling that could influence major life decisions like loan approvals, job screenings or insurance rates. Senate Bill 340 would prohibit the sale of a consumer’s most sensitive data, without requiring a consumer to opt of the sale.
“Illinois needs strong guardrails in place to protect consumers’ personal data from being collected by companies,” said Murphy. “This legislation would create those protections and empower consumers to take further action to protect themselves by making it easy to opt out of the sale and use of their data.”
AI-driven rental pricing platforms are known to facilitate rent price-fixing, causing artificial, double-digit rent increases in an era when people are already struggling to afford their day-to-day life. Under Senate Bill 343 from State Senator Graciela Guzmán (D-Chicago), landlords would not be able to coordinate pricing indirectly through a shared third-party service or software, such as an algorithm that sets prices across multiple competing landlords.
“This measure is about restoring fairness, transparency, and accountability to our housing market by cracking down on AI-driven rent fixing schemes that undermine competition and exploit renters,” said Guzmán. “I’m proud to have worked alongside partners at the city, state and local levels to confront the growing abuse of algorithmic pricing tools and put people ahead of corporate greed. At a time when families are already struggling with rising costs, we cannot allow landlords to collude through software designed to maximize profits at the expense of our communities. Illinois is sending a clear message: our housing market should work for renters, not predatory corporations.”
AI is also becoming more prevalent in education in all forms. However, students and their families shouldn’t have to worry if their identity or data is being taken advantage of or discriminating against them – especially at school. Senate Bill 415, led by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), would only allow school districts to use biometric data for legitimate instructional purposes.
“No child should be subjected to invasive surveillance or risk having their sensitive personal data collected and misused,” said Villa. “When it comes to protecting children’s biometric information, Illinois must be steadfast in securing students’ privacy and preventing discrimination.”
Further, the scores students receive should be fair and accurate – determined by a real person, not a computer. State Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is ensuring that is the case in schools across the state through Senate Bill 416. The measure would prohibit teachers from using artificial intelligence to assign grades on students’ work.
“Students deserve evaluations that reflect human judgement, context and understanding – not automated systems,” said Martwick. “Prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence for grading school work and requiring schoolboard approval for any other use in the classroom, helps protect student privacy, maintain academic integrity and ensure technology serves education responsibly.”
Additionally, the everyday person is having a harder time acquiring fair-priced concert and sports tickets – in large part because bots are scooping them up and reselling them for outrageous fees. State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) is working to prevent the use of bots to purchase tickets in excess, and prohibit a reseller from falsely representing that it is affiliated with an artist, team or venue through Senate Bill 318.
“For too long, ticket-buying has felt stacked against everyday fans who are forced to use hard-earned money to pay exorbitant prices,” said Stadelman. “By targeting bots, promoting transparency, and holding resellers accountable for deceptive practices, we are taking commonsense steps to create a more honest and fair system that keeps consumers informed before making an online ticket purchase.”
The measures will be heard in the Senate Executive Committee at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 13.
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