OpenAI Backs Illinois Bill Shielding AI Companies from Liability Even for 'Critical Harm' — 332 Points, 237 Comments

Hacker News·high signal

OpenAI testified in favor of Illinois SB 3444, which would limit when AI developers can be held liable for harm — even catastrophic events defined as 100+ deaths, $1B+ in damages, or CBRN weapon development. The bill applies to any model built on $100M+ in compute, covering OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI, and Meta. Similar bills are being considered in at least three other states, raising concerns about a regulatory race to the bottom, with 90% of surveyed Illinois residents opposing such exemptions.