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How Illinois is governing and deploying AI — state policy and regulation, public-sector adoption, transparency, and the politics shaping the rules. Featuring the policymakers and officials writing Illinois' AI playbook.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Jason Rosensweig, Senior Policy Advisor at the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). They discuss why Illinois regulated AI in hiring through its civil rights act rather than a standalone AI statute, the new notice requirement, disparate impact, and what employers and AI vendors need to know under HB 3773.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Susana Mendoza, Illinois State Comptroller. They discuss using data and transparency to bring Illinois back from a historic fiscal crisis, what AI means for government and the workforce, and why good governance and a builder's mindset matter for Chicago's future.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Brandon Ragle, Illinois State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT). They discuss what it takes to operate AI responsibly across an entire state—identity, data governance, cybersecurity, foundations over hype, and preparing the public-sector workforce for AI.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with E.J. Fagan, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Illinois Chicago and author of 'The Thinkers.' They discuss how partisan think tanks replaced neutral expertise, why smart people believe wrong things, and what this means for AI governance.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with State Representative Bob Morgan, Assistant Majority Leader and Floor Whip, about Illinois's groundbreaking first-in-the-nation AI mental health law. They discuss the journey from healthcare attorney to legislator, the political process of passing AI regulation, and why protecting mental health from unregulated AI therapy bots became urgent.
Illinois put AI hiring inside its civil rights act instead of passing a standalone AI statute. Jason Rosensweig, Senior Policy Advisor at IDHR, breaks down the architecture of HB 3773 — the notice requirement, disparate impact, and the 'influence or facilitate' reach — and what employers and AI vendors must do now.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza inherited a $16.7 billion bill backlog, a near-junk credit rating, and a rainy-day fund with $48,000. Nine years later: ten credit upgrades and a payment cycle cut from 210 days to 13. She joins AI in Chicago to discuss what fiscal-crisis management teaches us about the AI transition ahead.
Brandon Ragle, Illinois State CIO and Secretary of the Department of Innovation & Technology, leads 1,800+ technologists serving 13 million residents. His lesson for anyone adopting AI: the organizations getting it right aren't the fastest, they're the ones with the strongest foundations.
America doesn't just have a polarization problem. We have an information problem. Professor E.J. Fagan explains how we arrived at a moment where Republicans and Democrats don't just disagree on solutions—they can't even agree on basic facts.
Illinois has chosen to be an Engineering State for Quantum, but remains a Lawyerly State for AI. By pouring capital almost exclusively into experimental quantum physics while neglecting the immediate need for conventional AI infrastructure, Illinois is creating a utility gap.
A conversation with State Representative Bob Morgan, Assistant Majority Leader and Floor Whip, on Illinois's first-in-the-nation AI mental health law.