HB1859
COM COL-COURSE INSTRUCTOR-AI
TL;DR
Illinois HB1859, introduced by Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and now enacted as Public Act 104-0201, prohibits Illinois community colleges from using AI as the sole instructor for any course. A qualified human faculty member must teach the course, though they can still use AI tools to supplement their teaching.
How This Might Impact Your Business
Illinois community colleges cannot replace human faculty with AI as the sole source of instruction in any course, effective immediately upon enactment.
EdTech vendors selling fully autonomous AI teaching platforms (think AI tutors marketed as course replacements) will lose the Illinois community college market and must reposition products as faculty-augmentation tools.
Faculty-led AI use remains fully permitted, so tools like AI grading assistants, chatbots for student questions, and personalized learning platforms are still viable if a qualified instructor runs the course.
Community college administrators must ensure every course roster lists a faculty member meeting Illinois Administrative Code 23 section 1501.303(f) qualifications, even for courses with heavy AI integration.
The law defines AI using the Illinois Human Rights Act definition, aligning it with the state's broader AI regulatory framework and signaling more coordinated AI oversight across Illinois statutes.
No specific financial penalties are named in the bill, but non-compliance would trigger enforcement through the Illinois Community College Board's existing oversight authority.
Four-year universities, K-12 schools, and private training providers are not covered by this specific law.
What Should You Do
If you sell AI education products to Illinois community colleges, revise your marketing and contracts to position the product as faculty-supporting rather than faculty-replacing.
Community college leaders should audit any pilot programs or courses currently relying heavily on AI instruction and confirm a qualified faculty member is designated as the course instructor of record.
Legal and compliance teams at EdTech firms should review the Illinois Human Rights Act definition of AI (Section 2-101) to understand the exact scope of what is regulated.
Watch for similar legislation in other states, as Illinois often serves as a template for AI education policy; brief your product and government affairs teams now.
Update RFP responses and sales collateral to explicitly state that your AI tools augment rather than replace instructors.
Who It Affects
Sponsors
Status Timeline
enacted
Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0201
August 15, 2025