U.S. States Accelerate Generative AI Crackdown: Illinois Enacts Landmark Safety Act as New York Mandates Training Data Transparency

In a paradigm-shifting development for the regulation of artificial intelligence, the Transparency Coalition published a comprehensive legislative update on July 10, 2026, unveiling a conspicuous acceleration of state-level generative AI regulations across the United States www.transparencycoalition.ai . This proliferation of legislative activity underscores the growing apprehension surrounding frontier models, chatbot safety, and the opacity of training data. Illinois Inaugurates the AI Safety Measures Act The most noteworthy development this week is Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signing the state’s landmark AI Safety Measures Act (SB 315) into law www.transparencycoalition.ai . This comprehensive legislation establishes rigorous safety standards for the largest and most computationally expensive AI models, commonly referred to as frontier models www.transparencycoalition.ai . Illinois effectively becomes the first state to implement such stringent guardrails, setting a precedent for the rest of the nation www.transparencycoalition.ai . New York Compels Training Data Transparency Simultaneously, New York legislators concluded their 2026 session by passing the Artificial Intelligence Training Data Transparency Act (A 6578) www.transparencycoalition.ai . This groundbreaking measure mandates that developers of generative AI models or services must disseminate information regarding the datasets utilized to train their systems www.transparencycoalition.ai . By requiring a high-level summary of these datasets on the developer's website, the legislation aims to demystify the often clandestine data ingestion practices of major AI labs www.transparencycoalition.ai . Additionally, New York passed a kids chatbot safety bill (S 9051) that prohibits artificial intelligence chatbots from utilizing features deemed unsafe for minors www.transparencycoalition.ai . Massachusetts and California: The Labyrinth of Privacy and Copyright In Boston, legislators are deeply engaged in a contentious reconciliation of their statewide privacy protection bill (S 2619 / H 5479) www.transparencycoalition.ai . The primary sticking points involve the private right of action, cure periods, and the prohibition on the sale of sensitive data www.transparencycoalition.ai . Meanwhile, California’s 30+ AI-related bills remain dormant in appropriations committees during the summer recess www.transparencycoalition.ai . Notable among these is AB 412, which would compel AI developers to document any copyrighted materials used to train their models, and SB 813, which seeks to establish a California AI Standards and Safety Commission www.transparencycoalition.ai . Rhode Island and Pennsylvania: Safeguarding the Vulnerable Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee recently enacted three new AI-related measures, including a prohibition on offering therapy or psychotherapy services via AI unless conducted by a licensed professional www.transparencycoalition.ai . This legislation directly addresses the proliferation of unregulated therapeutic chatbots www.transparencycoalition.ai . Concurrently, Pennsylvania is advancing an AI toy moratorium (HB 2637), which would impose a three-year suspension on the sale of children's toys containing AI chatbots, alongside a chatbot safety bill (HB 2006) requiring safeguards against suicidal ideation www.transparencycoalition.ai . Whistleblower Protections and the Future of AI Governance In New Jersey, SR 52 has been introduced as a resolution urging generative AI companies to make voluntary commitments regarding employee whistleblower protections www.transparencycoalition.ai . This initiative reflects a growing recognition that the developers of these formidable technologies must be protected when they disclose internal safety concerns www.transparencycoalition.ai . As the legislative session continues, it is evident that the regulation of generative AI is transitioning from theoretical discourse to tangible statutory reality.

For a comprehensive breakdown of all 30+ AI bills currently navigating the California legislature and the full text of the Transparency Coalition's weekly update, refer to the official AI Legislative Update: July 10, 2026.