Bill regulating powerful AI models advances as advocates say it’s only the first step
Bill regulating powerful AI models advances as advocates say it’s only the first step
Publish Date: 2026-05-22 18:54:00
Source Domain: www.wifr.com
Article Summary
- A bill that seeks to regulate the most powerful artificial intelligence models passed the Illinois Senate this week.
- The bill is part of a larger package regulating AI and is modeled after legislation in California and New York as states seek to establish a national regulatory standard.
- Advocates of regulation say it’s only the beginning, as AI continues to rapidly evolve.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
The Illinois Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to advance a bill that would regulate how large artificial intelligence model developers handle transparency and catastrophic risk.
Senate Bill 315 is part of an eight-bill package and is modeled after similar legislation in New York and California as lawmakers, at the urging of industry lobbyists, seek to establish a “de facto” national AI standard.
Announced on May 13, the bill would require large developers like Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to adopt a transparency framework, employ third-party auditors and report a model’s catastrophic risk capabilities. It passed the Senate 52-5.
The move comes as President Donald Trump recently floated the possibility of a second AI-related executive order, this time directing developers on how to report powerful models to federal officials. Trump previously issued an order discouraging states from regulation, but state lawmakers cited a lack of federal movement as their reason for moving forward with regulations.
State Sen. Mary Edly-Allen’s bill is functionally the same as California’s and New York’s laws, which both passed in late 2025. It would require large developers with revenues over $500 million — a threshold tailored to capture only the largest entities — to create, publish and adhere to a transparency framework explaining how the company applies industry standards, measures model capabilities and chance of catastrophic risk, and identifies and responds to safety incidents.
Three…
