For the last four years, state Sen. Mary Edly-Allen has been concerned about the possible risks of widespread artificial intelligence usage. Those risks — from misinformation to bioterrorism — have far-reaching implications. And, if Illinois wanted to mitigate those risks, it needed to act — and do it fast — she reasoned.

“We see the harms that have happened with social media, that still have not been fixed, and we have now increased the power of the universe with artificial intelligence, and we can’t let that happen without any guardrails,” Edly-Allen, D-Grayslake, says.

In an effort that she calls a “real big uphill battle,” Edly-Allen and her colleagues in the Illinois Legislature in May passed Senate Bill 315, called the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act. Edly-Allen was the bill’s chief sponsor. Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law last month, and the measure will take effect in January. Read article