From State Rep. Jeff Keicher:
Rep. Keicher Responds to Creation of Illinois Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cabinet
SYCAMORE – Following the announcement by Governor JB Pritzker of an executive order establishing an Illinois Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cabinet to advise the state on policy recommendations to strengthen AI safety and accountability, State Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) issued the following response:
“Artificial intelligence will reshape work, medicine, energy, education, and national security.
“That is not a slogan.
“It is already happening.
“Illinois should meet that future with eyes open, not with panic.
“I support strong protections against individual harm.
“No person in this state should lose a job, a license, a loan, or a liberty because of an unaccountable system.
“Whistleblowers who raise real safety issues should be protected.
“Critical incidents should be reported.
“The largest frontier developers should be able to show how they assess catastrophic risk.
“Those are reasonable expectations, and they are consistent with the spirit of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act Illinois enacted this summer, which I was proud to sponsor.
“Our focus should be clear: prevent identifiable harm to people, secure public infrastructure, and ensure advancement is lawful, responsible, and leads to the productive use of AI in Illinois so our workers, hospitals, farms, manufacturers, and universities are not second in line.
“I believe we need a three-fold approach. First, protect people without freezing progress.
“Guardrails should be targeted at concrete harms such as
- unsafe deployment in high-stakes decisions about individuals;
- critical safety incidents;
- cyber and infrastructure risk; and
- misuse that could enable large-scale violence.
“They should not become a standing invitation to attach new conditions to every permit, contract, and approval. Annual audits of the largest labs can be a transparency tool.
“Second, stay in front of bad actors.
“Adversaries will not pause because Illinois formed a cabinet.
“Authoritarian states, criminal networks, and hostile labs will use the same tools; faster, cheaper, and with fewer constraints on surveillance, fraud, and weapons-adjacent research.
“If the United States, and Illinois as a serious industrial and research state, treats AI as something to brake while others treat it as something to field, we will not get a safer world.
“We will get a world in which the least accountable actors have the most capable systems.
“Preparedness is not only incident response after a failure. It is making sure Illinois and the country retain the talent, energy, and ability to stay ahead.
“Finally, capture the upside on purpose.
“Done right, AI can cut diagnostic delay, improve grid operations, strengthen manufacturing, personalize education, reduce paperwork in government, and lead to new businesses and jobs.
“The better future is one in which
- a patient in Peoria gets a faster, more accurate diagnosis;
- a factory in Rockford uses AI to keep work onshore;
- a student in Cairo has a tutor that never clocks out; and
- a state that still knows how to say no when a system would harm a person.
“I welcome an Illinois AI Cabinet if its charge is that full picture: risk and readiness, safeguards and speed against those who do not share our values, accountability for harm and ambition for what this technology can still do.
“Illinoisans do not need to be told only what to fear.
“They need a state that intends to win the useful future and refuse the reckless one.”
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The Governor’s press release is below:
Gov. Pritzker Establishes Illinois Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cabinet
CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker today signed Executive Order 2026-07 establishing the Illinois Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cabinet, a group of individuals from across industries and fields that will assess the various risks posed by AI to the safety of Illinoisans.
As AI continues to rapidly advance, the Illinois AI Cabinet will advise state government on preparing for and responding to AI-related incidents, identifying safeguards for public assets and infrastructure, and evaluating additional steps Illinois can take to strengthen AI safety and accountability.
The Governor will seek input from state agency leaders and announce members of the cabinet in the coming weeks.
The AI cabinet will include a broad cross-sector of experts from academia, law, ethics, governance and more.
“Artificial Intelligence has enormous potential to transform our everyday lives, but when experts and industry leaders sound the alarm bell, urge us to slow down, and ask for guardrails, we should listen,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois has already enacted nation-leading laws that hold Big Tech accountable and today I’m taking executive action to keep this a priority. Congress and the White House need to treat AI risks with urgency, but in the meantime, Illinois won’t wait because it is our foremost responsibility to prepare and protect Illinoisians.”
“Governor Pritzker’s formation of an AI Cabinet will bring together experts from several of our state agencies to assess the risks of artificial intelligence and regulating it accordingly,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “This is not a problem that can be kicked down the road and I’m proud that Illinois is prioritizing this issue. Together, we’ll find new ways to innovate while protecting our people at every turn.”
“We are eager to help the state navigate the current challenges and opportunities that AI brings,” said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Charles Isbell. “As a land-grant institution, we are the committed to innovation for the public good and to developing human-centered AI that protects privacy, reduces bias, strengthens democratic institutions, uses energy wisely, and creates value for workers, companies and communities. We look forward to this partnership.”
The executive order comes in response to the lack of federal action amidst the resignation of yet another whistleblower within the AI industry. Governor Pritzker is again taking proactive steps after signing nation-leading AI regulations into law this summer, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Measures Act creates a framework placed for AI safety, accountability, and transparency. This framework implemented risk identification, disclosure, and mitigation requirements on the largest AI developers in the state, including making Illinois the first state to require annual independent third-party audits, and amongst the first to provide protections for workers who report safety concerns – an essential safeguard as safety concerns rise in the very development hubs where AI continues to evolve.
The Illinois AI Cabinet will focus on:
Cross‑Sector Expertise & Strategic Guidance
- Provide cross‑sector expertise to develop comprehensive recommendations on AI safety, risk management, and regulation.
- Make timely policy recommendations to Illinois state agencies and government bodies based on current information about AI risks and best practices.
Safety of Residents & Incident Preparedness
- Develop policies and procedures to prepare for, prevent, and respond to AI‑related incidents that may impact the safety of Illinois residents.
- Analyze emerging AI incidents and share lessons learned to strengthen statewide preparedness and response.
Protection of Public Assets & Infrastructure
- Create policies and procedures to safeguard public assets—including public buildings, water systems, education systems, and information infrastructure—from AI‑driven threats.
Feasibility & Policy Evaluation
- Assess the feasibility, timelines, and potential challenges associated with recommended AI policy measures.
- Evaluate the feasibility of potential state regulatory actions, including:
- Conditioning data‑center tax incentives, permits, or operational approvals on meeting safety, accountability, and transparency standards.
- Addressing the energy burden AI data centers place on the Illinois grid and ratepayers, including impacts through PJM Interconnection.
- Incorporating AI safety and accountability standards into state procurement and contracting processes.
- Assessing whether a strict‑liability framework for AI‑caused harm is an appropriate mechanism for holding AI companies accountable.
Read the full executive order here:
Executive Order 2026-07.pdf
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The AI Cabinet will bring together academic and subject-matter experts alongside senior leaders from the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), the Illinois State Police (ISP), the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), and the Illinois Department of Public Health, which are state agencies responsible for technology, emergency management, financial regulation, utilities, public safety, economic development, and environmental protection. Governor Pritzker will announce appointed members of the Cabinet in the coming weeks.
