Gov. Pritzker Calls For Urgent AI Safety Action In New Op-Ed
Governor Pritzker calls for federal leaders to act with urgency, build on Illinois’ nation-leading AI measures and pursue international cooperation on AI safety.
CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker warned that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) requires the same seriousness, cooperation, and foresight that American leaders demonstrated when confronting the dangers of nuclear proliferation. In a new op-ed for The Contrarian, Governor Pritzker urges Congress and the Trump Administration to establish meaningful national safeguards and prevent increasingly advanced AI systems from harming people. The op-ed follows an executive order Governor Pritzker signed last week to establish the Illinois AI Cabinet.
“At the dawn of another technological revolution, we face a choice. We can work together to establish thoughtful guardrails in ways that benefit both industry and humanity. Or we can allow a handful of actors to evade accountability and push the costs and danger onto ordinary people,” Governor JB Pritzker wrote. "The success of nearly every breakthrough in our history has proven that strong safeguards and sensible guardrails are not a threat to our progress – they are essential."
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The Governor’s call comes as leaders and employees from some of the world’s largest artificial intelligence companies have publicly raised concerns about the risks associated with AI systems. The Governor argued that warnings from those closest to the technology demand serious attention from elected leaders and policymakers.
In the op-ed, Governor Pritzker outlines the risks posed by unchecked AI development, steps Illinois has already taken to establish safeguards, and the need for federal and international action to address a technology that crosses state and national borders.
THE RISKS OF UNCHECKED AI DEVELOPMENT
Beyond emerging safety concerns, rapid AI development could fundamentally reshape the labor market and broader economic order. Working families face uncertainty about how AI could affect their jobs, while the expansion of energy-intensive data centers could create new pressures on communities and electricity consumers. Parents are also confronting questions about the role of AI in schools and the use of the increasingly powerful technology in their children’s education.
Governor Pritzker argues that ordinary people should not be forced to bear the economic costs and safety risks of technological advancement alone.
ILLINOIS LEADING ON AI SAFETY
In July, Governor Pritzker signed the AI Safety Measures Act, establishing nation-leading safety and accountability standards for artificial intelligence companies.
Among its safeguards, the law requires AI companies to:
- Develop risk-mitigation frameworks;
- Undergo annual independent third-party audits;
- Report critical safety incidents within 72 hours; and
- Publicly disclose the risks posed by their systems and the measures they are taking to mitigate those risks.
The Governor has called those requirements a baseline for responsible AI development and has made clear that Illinois will continue pursuing additional protections as the technology evolves.
Last week, Governor Pritzker implemented an Executive Order creating the Illinois AI Cabinet to convene senior leaders in state government with experts from across the artificial intelligence landscape to help state government understand, prepare, and respond to the risks posed by the technology — and protect Illinoisans.
Especially if the federal government fails to act, Illinois needs to be prepared for the danger that AI poses to our economy, our safety, and our critical infrastructure. This AI cabinet will help bring expertise, build critical state capacity, and improve coordination to handle those threats. From industry to academia to government, we are bringing together an expert team to help us handle this potentially generation-defining issue with the seriousness it deserves.
CALLING FOR FEDERAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION
While Illinois continues to act, Governor Pritzker emphasizes that state-level action cannot substitute for a coordinated federal and international response to a technology that crosses state and national borders. The Governor believes that the United States should be immediately engaging in open dialogue and serious negotiations with our allies and adversaries alike focused on the potential global and existential risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence.
Governor Pritzker pointed to the international response to nuclear proliferation as an example of governments confronting the risks created by transformative technology. On July 1, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after years in which the threat of nuclear conflict had demonstrated the potentially catastrophic consequences of a rapidly developing technology.
In signing the treaty, President Johnson declared, “The march of mankind is toward the summit – not the chasm.”
Governor Pritzker called on today’s leaders to approach artificial intelligence with the same urgency and willingness to cooperate, arguing that safeguards and sensible guardrails are not barriers to technological progress but essential to ensuring innovation benefits both industry and humanity.
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