Top Stories – July 7, 2026
1. Illinois Governor Signs Landmark AI Safety Measures Act
Governor Pritzker signed the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act on July 6, requiring AI developers to publish frameworks identifying catastrophic risk (potential death or injury to 50+ people or more than $1 million in property damage). Illinois joins California and New York – three states covering roughly 40% of the US AI market – in a de facto national standard that fills the gap left by absent federal legislation.
2. FTC AI Accuracy Policy Statement Published in Federal Register
The FTC’s proposed policy statement targeting AI companies that secretly steer model outputs for undisclosed ideological goals was formally published in the Federal Register today, officially opening the 30-day public comment period through July 31, 2026. The statement asserts such behavior could constitute unfair or deceptive practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, citing data that consumers accept AI outputs without independent verification more than 90% of the time.
3. EU Digital Omnibus Still Awaits Official Journal Publication as August 2 Deadline Approaches
The EU Digital Omnibus – which defers high-risk AI compliance obligations from August 2, 2026 to December 2, 2027 – has full Council approval but has not yet been published in the Official Journal, meaning companies cannot yet formally rely on the extended timeline. The unaffected August 2 GPAI enforcement and Article 50 transparency deadlines remain 26 days away.