Workforce Bulletin

On August 9, 2024, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed HB 3773 into law, amending the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) to expressly regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for employment decisions. HB 3773 is the second Illinois law that regulates workplace AI.  As we previously reported, in August 2019, Illinois enacted the first of its kind statute, the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (AIVIA), which requires employers who use AI-enabled video interviewing technology to provide applicants advanced notice of the use of the AI, information regarding how the AI works and the characteristics evaluated, and obtain prior consent from applicants. And, while not necessarily directed exclusively at workplace AI tools, as we also previously reported, an employer’s use of AI-powered facial expression and screening technology could also implicate the requirements of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).  

HB 3773 has a potentially broader application than either AIVIA or BIPA.  HB 3773 provides two new definitions:

Artificial Intelligence                      

A machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments.

Artificial intelligence also includes generative artificial intelligence.

Generative Artificial Intelligence   

An automated computing system that, when prompted with human prompts, descriptions, or queries, can produce outputs that simulate human-produced content, including, but not limited to, the following:

In a flurry of activity into the wee hours of June 2, 2021, Illinois legislators concluded a spring session that saw the passage of numerous measures that will affect employers in the state across the span of the employment relationship. Among the most significant of the many bills heading to Governor Pritzker for signature are acts amending the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (“VESSA”), and the Freedom to Work Act. It is expected that Governor Pritzker will sign all of the above-mentioned bills.