Illinois Lawmakers Just Passed America’s Strongest AI Safety Bill | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsMerchSearchSearchMaxwell ZeffBusinessMay 27, 2026 8:10 PMIllinois Lawmakers Just Passed America’s Strongest AI Safety BillThe bill requires companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google to have third parties confirm they’re following safety standards. Illinois governor JB Pritzker says he’ll sign it.Illinois governor JB PritzkerPhotograph: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday requiring frontier AI labs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind to have their safety practices audited by a third party. If signed into law, AI safety experts tell WIRED, it would be the nation’s leading check on the power of major AI companies.The bill, SB 315, now heads to governor JB Pritzker’s desk. In a post on social media on Wednesday, Pritzker said he plans to sign the bill, citing a need to hold Big Tech accountable.Since Congress has yet to pass any meaningful AI safety legislation, state lawmakers have happily stepped up in recent years to promote bills that show their constituents they’re keeping Silicon Valley in check. As AI tools become increasingly popular, and the companies behind them race toward massive IPOs, polls show that American voters are looking for more AI regulation.As a result, safety advocates and tech companies have zeroed in on state legislatures as the primary battleground to hash out how these laws should look. OpenAI’s chief of global affairs, Chris Lehane, told WIRED last week that the company’s AI policy is now oriented around passing a series of similar state laws.California and New York have the strongest AI safety laws, requiring tech companies to provide information about model guardrails and to publish reports on safety incidents as they occur. Illinois’ bill goes a step further, requiring independent auditors to verify that an AI lab is adhering to its own safety standards. Previously, no independent body was required to keep an AI lab accountable to its own safety claims.“We're in a situation where the AI companies grade their own homework,” says Scott Wisor, policy director at Secure AI Project, a nonprofit that supports SB 315. “Should SB 315 become law, Illinois would require an independent auditor to check whether the AI labs in fact adhere to their safety commitments.”Got a Tip?Are you a current or former government employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at mzeff.88.Wisor says it’s broadly expected that, under SB 315, AI labs could use the Big Four accounting and auditing firms—Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC—to audit their safety practices. He also says it’s possible that AI labs could tap members of the AI Evaluator Forum—a coalition of smaller research organizations including METR, Transluce, and Averi—to assess adherence to safety standards.Illinois state representative Daniel Didech, a sponsor of SB 315, tells WIRED that state legislatures are playing an important role by 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.Corporate InterestsIllinois has emerged as a major arena in the ongoing fight over state AI laws. OpenAI previously supported a bill in Illinois that would let AI labs dodge liability if their models caused catastrophic harm. However, Lehane has since said the company’s blanket support for the bill was an oversight, and it never supported the liability shield in the bill. More recently, OpenAI endorsed SB 315.“The Illinois General Assembly has shown real bipartisan leadership in advancing SB 315 and developing a thoughtful framework for frontier AI safety. As AI systems become more capable, clear expectations around safety, transparency, incident reporting, and accountability matter,” Lehane said in a statement to WIRED.Anthropic claims it was the first AI lab to support SB 315 and is grateful to the lawmakers who introduced it. Cesar Fernandez, the head of US state and local government relations at Anthropic, told WIRED in a statement that SB 315 will help “establish a baseline that every leading AI developer is expected to meet.”However, other Silicon Valley trade groups have pushed back against the legislation. Chamber of Progress—a trade group that lists Google, Apple, Amazon, and Andreessen Horowitz as partners—sent a letter to Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday morning asking them to oppose SB 315. The group’s founder and CEO, Adam Kovacevich, tells WIRED that Illinois’ AI bill “would force companies to expose sensitive systems to untested auditors in a regulatory regime that’s all liability and no standards.”During his second term, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders to unwind AI regulations imposed by the Biden administration and state legislatures, citing a need to avoid “patchwork” regulations that could hinder the United States in its race against China. Last week, President Trump canceled the planned signing of an executive order, saying he didn’t want to do anything that could dull America’s competitive edge.CommentsBack to topTriangleYou Might Also LikeHow to find us: Add WIRED.com to your preferred sources in GoogleHow the Canvas hack threatened thousands of schoolsBig Story: I've covered robots for years—this one is eerily lifelikeOrbs, saucers, and flashes on the moon—here’s what’s in the UFO filesTake our survey: What does “home” mean to you?Maxwell Zeff is a senior writer at WIRED covering the business of artificial intelligence. He was previously a senior reporter with TechCrunch, where he broke news on startups and leaders driving the AI boom. Before that, Zeff covered AI policy and content moderation for Gizmodo and wrote some of Bloomberg’s ... 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The Illinois House of Representatives passed bill SB 315, which mandates that frontier AI laboratories, including companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind, must have their safety practices audited by a third party. This legislation is being advanced by state lawmakers and is anticipated to serve as a significant mechanism for holding major AI companies accountable, particularly given the absence of meaningful federal AI safety legislation. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has indicated plans to sign the bill. Safety advocates suggest that if enacted, SB 315 would establish a crucial check on the power exerted by these major AI entities.

The necessity for state-level regulation has emerged because, in the absence of comprehensive federal AI safety laws, state legislatures have become the primary arena for establishing AI governance, driven by public demand for increased AI regulation as AI tools become more prevalent and associated companies pursue large financial valuations. This trend is reflected in the policy focus of companies, with OpenAI's chief of global affairs noted shifting policy orientation toward pursuing similar state laws.

The scope of Illinois' bill is particularly notable because it introduces the requirement for independent auditors to verify that AI labs adhere to their stated safety commitments. This addresses a prior gap where AI labs were previously deemed to be grading their own safety work, as observed by Scott Wisor, policy director at the Secure AI Project. SB 315 seeks to establish external accountability for safety claims in the AI development process.

Observers suggest that such auditing processes may involve external entities such as the Big Four accounting and auditing firms, including Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC, or members of the AI Evaluator Forum, which includes research organizations like METR, Transluce, and Averi, to assess adherence to safety standards. State representative Daniel Didech, who sponsored the bill, posits that state legislatures play an important role in shaping America's AI policy, creating a framework that increases the likelihood of future federal action.

Corporate interests are actively involved in this debate. While some leading AI developers have shown support, such as Anthropic, noting that the bill will establish a baseline expectation for developers, other Silicon Valley trade groups have voiced opposition. For instance, the Chamber of Progress, which includes major technology and investment partners, expressed concern that the legislation would force companies to expose sensitive systems to untested auditors without clear standards, as stated by Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the group. This opposition reflects a tension between establishing safety standards and maintaining operational flexibility, especially considering the historical context where some companies, like OpenAI, previously supported legislation that might shield them from liability.

The framework established by these state laws addresses critical aspects of AI development, focusing on safety, transparency, incident reporting, and accountability, recognizing that as AI systems gain greater capability, clear expectations regarding these elements become increasingly vital.