SPRINGFIELD — As artificial intelligence’s global popularity continues to skyrocket, Illinois lawmakers are trying to ensure that the state’s laws keep up. 

State Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Grayslake, and state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, are leading the efforts for the legislation filed this session. Gong-Gershowitz and Edly-Allen have tag-teamed on many of them, with Gong-Gershowitz championing them through the House and Edly-Allen championing them through the Senate. 

With the bills still early on in the legislative process, Edly-Allen said she’s not against artificial intelligence. 

“It’s an extremely powerful tool that can be used for good,” Edly-Allen said. “I just want our communities to be protected, and I think power needs to shift away from really powerful entities, like social media platforms. Right now, they are dictating how and why and when things happen. That needs to change, in my opinion, and we need some control.”

House Bill 4875 would protect artists and their work from being used and artificially reproduced for another song or piece of work without their consent. It passed through the House earlier this month with a 79-24 vote. It was assigned to the Senate’s judiciary committee.

House Bill 4762 would add protections to a person’s digital voice and likeness, and passed through the House with a 108-0 vote. It was assigned to the Senate’s judiciary committee. 

House Bill 4623 protects children from pornographic content and exploitation. It also passed through the House earlier this month with a 113-0 vote. Edly-Allen said Attorney General Kwame Raoul approached her and Gong-Gershowitz to carry this bill through the legislature. It is currently sitting in the Senate Assignments Committee. 

House Bill 4763 would allow anyone depicted in digital forgery to take action against the person who created and distributed the digital forgery without the consent of the person depicted. The bill also says the person creating the digital forgery must have had intent to harass, extort, threaten or cause harm to that person; and created and distributed the forgery with reckless disregard for how it could affect the person depicted, or with the intent of inciting violence or interfering with an official proceeding. 

The bill is in the House General Rules Committee. 

Similar to HB4763, House Bill 4933 would allow anyone running for office in Illinois to take action against anyone who distributes digital forgery or enters an agreement with another person to distribute that forgery. The distribution of the forgery has to occur within 90 days before a regular election, and must be reasonably likely to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election. The bill is in the House General Rules Committee. 

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Berwyn, also filed three bills this session regarding artificial intelligence, but all of them remain in the general rules committee. Rashid’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

House Bill 3385 states that a covered entity, such as an entity or person acting in a commercial context, may not collect, process or transfer covered data unless it’s reasonably necessary or proportionate. The bill also requires them to establish, implement and maintain reasonable policies, practices and procedures regarding the collection, processing and transferring of covered data.

"Covered data" refers to data and unique identifiers that are linked, alone or in combination with other information to an individual, or a device linked to an individual. The covered data would not include de-identified data, employee data or publicly available information. 

House Bill 4705 would require each state agency to develop a report on the use of covered algorithms in their operation.

"Covered algorithms" refers to computer processes that use machine learning, natural language processing, AI or other computer techniques that would mimic human decision-making with respect to covered data. This would include determining the provision of products or services or to rank, order, amplify, promote, recommend or determine the display or delivery of information to an individual. 

Each state agency would have to designate a current staff member to be the chief AI officer to oversee the preparation and submission of this report. If the bill passes, agencies would have six months after the effective date to submit the first report to the legislature, the Auditor General and the Department of Innovation and Technology. After that, agencies would have to submit the report on an annual basis. 

House Bill 4836 would require that all state agency or state-funded AI systems must follow the trustworthiness, equity and transparency standards created by the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework. These agencies and entities would be required to submit an NIST-based algorithmic impact assessment to the legislature, the Auditor General and the Department of Innovation and Technology. A chief AI officer would be appointed by the agency’s CEO and would be required to oversee the submission of the report. 

The bill would also require the Department of Innovation and Technology to create two standardized algorithmic impact assessments, along with assessment requirements. One would be for state agencies, and the other would be for entities using state-funded AI systems. They would be required to submit assessments based on the ones created by the Department of Innovation and Technology. 

Other AI bills include House Bill 3626, sponsored by Rep. Chris Miller, R-Charleston, and Senate Bill 2762, sponsored by Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford.

Miller’s bill remains in the general rules committee and would mandate that the Department of Innovation and Technology prohibit people from using TikTok on state devices.

Stadelman’s bill has yet to be assigned to a committee and would require political ads to disclose if they’re AI-generated.