Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Pritzker Urges Federal AI Regulation Amid Slowdown Debate
Illinois Gov.
JB Pritzker says artificial intelligence could become extremely dangerous if it is not managed carefully.
He compared its potential risks to those of nuclear weapons.
He wants Congress to create nationwide rules instead of letting each state make separate laws.
He also said countries should work together on AI safety.
Illinois already requires some AI companies to have outside experts check their safety plans each year.
Pritzker does not want to shut AI down completely.
He also does not support banning superintelligence because he believes AI already exists around the world.
His comments came after reports that AI systems accidentally entered protected computer systems during testing.
The debate has grown as some technology leaders call for slower AI development while others face claims that they coordinated such a slowdown.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker compared artificial intelligence’s potential danger to that of nuclear weapons and urged Congress to establish federal safeguards.
Pritzker said AI regulation cannot be handled state by state and should also involve international cooperation with U.S. allies.
An Illinois law he signed requires AI companies to obtain annual third-party safety audits and report safety incidents to the state.
Pritzker opposed allowing AI companies to regulate themselves but rejected shutting down the technology or banning superintelligence.
The comments followed reported AI system security incidents and a broader debate over whether companies should slow model development.
- Who
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Congress, AI companies, technology leaders and researchers are involved in the debate.
- What
- Pritzker called for federal and international AI safeguards, criticized industry self-regulation and discussed whether AI development should slow.
- When
- Pritzker made the remarks after recent reported AI security incidents and as the U.S. midterm elections approached.
- Where
- The remarks were made in an interview with ABC; the proposed federal rules would apply across the United States, while the debate is international in scope.
- Why
- Pritzker said AI systems can behave in ways their developers do not control and could become dangerous without stronger oversight.
Stronger public oversight
Continued development and industry coordination concerns
Who should regulate AI?
Stronger public oversight
Pritzker argues that Congress should establish national guardrails, supported by international cooperation, because state-by-state rules are insufficient.
Continued development and industry coordination concerns
Pritzker criticized the alternative of allowing AI leaders to self-govern and self-regulate, while the article reports that some leading companies were accused in a lawsuit of coordinating a development slowdown.
How quickly should AI advance?
Stronger public oversight
Dario Amodei and other technology figures have called for a slower pace of capability improvements to create more time to manage risks.
Continued development and industry coordination concerns
A lawsuit reported by the Associated Press claims that an agreement among major AI companies to slow development could violate antitrust laws and reduce the value consumers receive from paid subscriptions.
Should advanced AI be banned?
Stronger public oversight
Supporters of stronger limits warn that AI could create severe risks, including potential threats to human safety.
Continued development and industry coordination concerns
Pritzker said he does not support Bernie Sanders’ proposal to ban superintelligence, arguing that AI already exists globally and cannot realistically be prohibited.
- Main advocate
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
- Requested action
- Federal AI regulation and international cooperation
- Pritzker’s comparison
- He described AI as dangerous on the level of nuclear weapons.
- Illinois requirement
- AI companies must conduct annual third-party audits of safety plans and disclose safety incidents to the state.
- Position on shutdowns
- Pritzker said AI should not be shut down entirely, but should be prevented from getting out of control.
- Position on superintelligence ban
- He opposed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposal to ban superintelligence.
- Development slowdown
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slowing the pace of AI model capability advances.