Trump loses more control over AI regulation as Illinois passes landmark law
Ars Technica AI · Ashley Belanger · 2026-05-28
Illinois lawmakers passed SB 315, the nation's strongest AI safety law, requiring frontier AI firms to publish safety plans, undergo independent third-party testing, report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, and protect employee whistleblowers — passed days after Trump cancelled a federal AI executive order.
Appears in
Extraction
Topics: ai-regulationai-safetystate-legislationai-governance
Claims
- Illinois SB 315 requires the largest AI firms to submit public safety plans and annual reports summarizing results of independent third-party safety testing of their frontier models.
- Covered firms must report critical safety incidents to Illinois authorities within 72 hours, or within 24 hours if there is imminent risk of death or serious physical harm.
- The bill establishes state whistleblower protections for employees who report AI safety risks their companies may be tempted to downplay.
- Governor Pritzker confirmed his intent to sign the bill, declaring Illinois the national leader in holding Big Tech accountable.
- SB 315 passed days after Trump cancelled a federal AI executive order that would have given the government power to review frontier AI models before public release.
Key quotes
A few days after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a plan that would have given the federal government power to vet frontier AI models over fears that it might hobble innovation, Illinois lawmakers passed the nation's strongest AI safety law.
Illinois is leading the nation in holding Big Tech accountable.
Their employees will have a clear avenue for reporting emerging safety risks that companies may be tempted to downplay, with protections provided by the state's whistleblower laws.