Colorado governor signs new AI regulation bill to replace 2024 law
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has 30 days to address a stack of bills on his desk with a signature or veto. But he wasted no time signing two important bills with broad bipartisan support Thursday.
The first bill he signed following the legislative session was one that was years in the making. Lawmakers have been working to revise the state's sweeping artificial intelligence law since it was signed in 2024.
"It was pretty aggressive," said Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez. "I was maybe a little bit ahead of my time"
Rodriguez sponsored both bills and has been front and center in the fight to prevent potential discrimination from the use of AI.
"It was always about not hurting AI, because it is a great tool and there's a lot of benefits from it," said Rodriguez.
The Majority Leader invited more stakeholders to the table to find a balance. The new AI Act, in part, includes a mandate to notify an individual when AI is being used in consequential decisions such as employment, healthcare, and housing.
"I went and applied for this job, and I didn't hear back," said Senate President James Coleman. For others, the fight was more personal.
"Two weeks later, I applied for the same job as James, not Rashad and I got that job," he added. "It's important that not only are individuals not making decisions, whether indirectly or directly, that may be discriminatory, but it's also important that the technology doesn't do that either."
Thursday, Polis also signed a law requiring state agencies to review their rules every five years to improve effectiveness.
"I'm so excited to lower the cost of doing business in Colorado, streamlining regulation," said Polis. "That's what we want to do: you want to have the minimum amount of regulation to achieve the best outcome for the people of Colorado."
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worked to cut red tape.
"I really look forward to building on it and trying to figure out the right space for the right amount of regulation to keep people safe, but to have businesses prosper and thrive," said Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson.
New laws enacted without a safety clause will go into effect August 12, 2026.
