Illinois lawmakers are moving forward with a proposal aimed at making artificial intelligence more transparent in customer service interactions. The legislation is designed to make sure consumers know exactly who, or what, they are communicating with.

State Senator Rachel Ventura announced Thursday that a measure requiring companies to tell consumers when they are speaking with an AI chatbot instead of a real person has passed the Illinois Senate. Ventura said that many companies these days rely on automated systems to answer questions and resolve issues, however, the automated system cant always give the needed answers.

Under Senate Bill 317 (SB317), companies using artificial intelligence chat systems would be required to provide a clear notice at the beginning of the conversation informing consumers they are communicating with an automated system and not a human representative.

Ventura said the legislation comes as more businesses turn to artificial intelligence to handle customer service requests. While AI systems can often answer simple questions, Ventura also said many consumers become frustrated when trying to solve more complicated issues like billing disputes, canceled services, or account problems.

The bill would also give consumers legal protections if businesses fail to provide the required disclosure. Under the proposal, someone who suffers damages because they were not informed they were speaking with AI could pursue legal action under Illinois’ Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Senate Bill 317 is part of a larger package of artificial intelligence-related legislation currently being considered by Illinois lawmakers. After passing the Senate Thursday, the measure now moves to the Illinois House for further consideration.

For information on this bill and all other bills and proposals, head online to www.ilga.gov.