Illinois Advances AI Safety Bill With New Oversight Requirements

The Illinois General Assembly has approved new legislation establishing a regulatory framework for large artificial intelligence developers, introducing annual audits and incident reporting requirements.

Senate Bill 315, known as the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act, was passed by the Illinois Senate on May 22, 2026, with a 52-5 vote. The Illinois House of Representatives also passed the bill, and Governor JB Pritzker stated he plans to sign it into law. The legislation sets out obligations for AI companies with annual revenues exceeding $500 million.

Under SB 315, qualifying AI developers must retain an independent third party to conduct annual audits of their compliance with the Act’s provisions. The bill specifies that these requirements begin on January 1, 2028, or 90 days after a company meets the revenue threshold. Developers are also required to publish safety frameworks and update them each year.

The Act mandates that developers submit transparency reports before deploying new or substantially modified frontier AI models. In addition, companies must report AI safety incidents to the relevant authorities within 72 hours of discovery. These measures are designed to address catastrophic-risk assessment, governance, cybersecurity, third-party evaluations, and internal-use risks.

What the numbers show

• Senate Bill 315 passed the Illinois Senate by a 52-5 vote
• Annual revenue threshold for compliance is $500 million
• Annual independent audits required starting January 1, 2028

SB 315 assigns the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, to oversee the reporting system, issue guidance, and prepare yearly reports. The law also provides whistleblower protections and exempts certain sensitive information from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Developers must create, implement, and update a frontier AI framework that covers risk assessment, mitigation strategies, governance structures, and cybersecurity measures. The Act requires that these frameworks be made public and reviewed annually to ensure ongoing compliance.

Civil penalties are established for violations of the Act, while the bill clarifies that it does not create a private right of action. Protections for whistleblowers are included, and the Act prohibits retaliation under the Whistleblower Act.

SB 315 represents a legislative effort to introduce oversight and transparency for large-scale AI development in Illinois. The bill’s requirements are designed to apply to companies with substantial resources and operational scale, focusing on risk management and public accountability.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.