AI deepfake policy in Illinois
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| Deepfake policy in the U.S. |
| Select a state from the list below to read more about deepfake policy and legislation in that state. |
| Annual reports |
Deepfakes are videos, images, or audio files that have been generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence in order to realistically portray something that did not actually occur. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Deepfakes rely on artificial neural networks, which are computer systems modeled loosely on the human brain that recognize patterns in data. Developing a deepfake photo or video typically involves feeding hundreds or thousands of images into the artificial neural network, ‘training’ it to identify and reconstruct patterns—usually faces."[1]
Public policy organizations, lawmakers, and journalists have expressed concerns related to the use of deepfake technology, including the proliferation of child sexual abuse material and other nonconsensual sexual content, the distribution of deceptive political communications and election disinformation, property rights infringement, harassment, fraud, and threats to national security.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Policy approaches vary as lawmakers and advocates balance concerns about deepfakes with First Amendment free speech considerations and beneficial uses of the technology.[9][10]
This page includes information about deepfake policy in Illinois. As of July 10, 2025, Illinois was one of 45 states that had enacted laws concerning the creation or distribution of deepfakes that depict explicit sexual acts or other sensitive content. Some of these laws specifically addressed the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material, while others addressed the nonconsensual creation and distribution of adult intimate images. Eighteen states had passed laws addressing both.
To view laws enacted in Illinois since 2019, click here.
This page includes the following information about deepfake policy:
Deepfake legislation in Illinois
As legislatures across the country consider bills intended to address concerns about deepfake technology, Ballotpedia’s deepfake legislation tracker can help you follow the latest developments in all 50 states.
Enacted legislation
The table below displays bills related to deepfakes enacted in Illinois since 2019.[11]
Current legislation
The table below displays bills related to deepfakes introduced during or carried over to Illinois' current legislative session.[11]
National context: Deepfake laws in the United States
Political communications
As of July 10, 2025, 28 states had enacted laws regulating deepfakes used in political communications, such as campaign advertisements.[12] In more than half of those states, the law applied to political materials distributed within a certain number of days before an election, and most included exceptions for materials containing a disclosure statement, with varying degrees of specificity regarding what that statement must say and how it must be presented.
As of July 10, 2025, three states with laws prohibiting deepfakes from being distributed a certain number of days before an election did not include an exception for materials containing a disclosure statement. Senior U.S. District Judge John Mendez blocked enforcement of California AB 2839 on October 2, 2024.
Pornographic materials
As of July 10, 2025, 45 states had enacted laws concerning the creation or distribution of deepfakes that depict explicit sexual acts or other sensitive content. Some of those laws specifically addressed the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material, while others addressed the nonconsensual creation and distribution of adult intimate images. Eighteen states had passed laws addressing both.
Ballotpedia's State of Deepfake Legislation 2024 Annual Report
See also
Select a state on the map below to read more about deepfake policy and legislation in that state.
- Deepfake policy in the United States, 2019 - Present
- Nonconsensual pornography (revenge porn) laws in the United States
- Ballotpedia's Legislation Trackers
- Ballotpedia Email Updates
- Contact us
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Science & Tech Spotlight: Deepfakes," February 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "Teen Girls Confront an Epidemic of Deepfake Nudes in Schools," April 8, 2024
- ↑ AP News, "FEC moves toward potentially regulating AI deepfakes in campaign ads," August 10, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Regulating AI Deepfakes and Synthetic Media in the Political Arena," December 5, 2023
- ↑ NBC News, "States turn their attention to regulating AI and deepfakes as 2024 kicks off," January 25, 2024
- ↑ AP News, "What to know about how lawmakers are addressing deepfakes like the ones that victimized Taylor Swift," January 31, 2024
- ↑ MultiState, "More and More States Are Enacting Laws Addressing AI Deepfakes," April 5, 2024
- ↑ Regulations.gov, "Comment on FR Doc # 2023-28232," January 31, 2024
- ↑ ACLU of Georgia, "Press Statement: ACLU of Georgia Opposes Bill Criminalizing 'Deep Fakes' about Election Candidates," January 29, 2024
- ↑ Courthouse News Service, "Free speech implications surface as experts urge Senate to regulate deepfakes," April 30, 2024
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bills are organized by most recent action. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's deepfake legislation tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
- ↑ Massachusetts House Bill 5100 was enacted on November 20, 2024, and included a repeal of the relevant section on February 1, 2025.
