A new Illinois law would prohibit administrators from using artificial intelligence to evaluate teachers.
The provisions of Senate Bill 2909 would prohibit evaluators from using AI to assign “numerical scores or other qualitative ratings for any component of a teacher’s evaluation,” according to the text of the bill.
In addition, teachers will be prohibited from using AI to generate any portion of their assessments.
The bill passed unanimously in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and was signed into law by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Friday, making it officially effective on January 1, 2027.
“We believe teachers should be judged based on actual observations and professional judgment, not AI software,” Illinois Sen. Christopher Belt, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. “Our educators deserve a transparent and fair evaluation process that demonstrates their real work in the classroom and protects their privacy.”
The Illinois General Assembly passed a series of artificial intelligence bills during the spring session. That includes the Artificial Intelligence Safety Act, which would create a framework for AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to publicize their safety practices and report safety incidents.
According to the bill, Illinois would also become the first state in the country to require third-party audits of AI systems.
The bill passed on a bipartisan basis and was signed into law by Pritzker earlier this month.
