JB Pritzker Says 'Companies and the Government Have a Responsibility' as Illinois Unveils AI Safety Law
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill) said that the state is taking a proactive approach to AI oversight by requiring major developers to meet new safety and transparency standards while criticizing federal leaders for failing to enact similar regulations.
Illinois AI Safety Law
On Tuesday, Pritzker highlighted Illinois’ new AI safety legislation in a post on X, saying the state is acting before the technology reaches a dangerous tipping point.
“As AI becomes more powerful and influential, companies and the government have a responsibility to anticipate, manage, and transparently communicate the risks,” Pritzker wrote.
He added, “Illinois is proactively embedding safety and accountability at the frontier, not at its tipping point.”
In a video accompanying the post, Pritzker said the law requires large AI companies to develop risk mitigation frameworks and undergo “mandatory annual independent third-party audits,” calling it “a first for any state AI legislation.”
He added that developers must report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, or within 24 hours if an incident poses “an imminent risk of death or serious physical harm.”
The legislation also requires companies to publicly disclose the risks posed by their AI systems and the steps they are taking to reduce those risks.
Pritzker said the measure includes whistleblower protections and confidential reporting channels for employees raising AI safety concerns.
He also argued the legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Illinois General Assembly.
Pritzker Quantum Push
Last month, Pritzker said the state invested $500 million in the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park to establish Illinois as a leader in quantum computing, with PsiQuantum building a utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer at the site.
AI Safety Debate Intensifies
Earlier, Former White House AI policy adviser Sriram Krishnan said the Trump administration would avoid creating a centralized AI licensing agency, warning it could slow innovation with unnecessary regulatory hurdles.
Meanwhile, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for stronger AI safeguards, including third-party testing and rules to prevent risky deployments, citing potential cybersecurity, biological and safety threats from advanced AI systems.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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