DENVER — Since Colorado passed its landmark law regulating artificial intelligence in 2024, there has been debate and delays when it comes to executing it.
During a special legislative session this August when lawmakers reconvened to address the state’s budget shortfall, they also debated possible changes to the law before eventually deciding to postpone its implementation from February 2026 to June 2026, to allow more time to discuss the legislation and for the industry to prepare.
Senate Bill 24-205 was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in May 2024. It aims to protect people from bias when interacting with AI systems making important decisions, like whether someone gets a job, a loan or housing. It also requires companies and organizations to be transparent in disclosing when and how consumers are interacting with AI systems.
That law has led to widespread debate about whether it creates requirements that are too burdensome for organizations or companies that use these AI tools.
Denver7 has previously reported on AI and its impact on the state. Click the links below to read some of our reporting:
- Colorado's AI regulations will be under the microscope during special legislative session
- Colorado could lose federal funding as Trump administration targets AI regulations
- Colorado's artificial intelligence law faces uncertain future
A new executive order
In a social media post, President Donald Trump promised an executive order sometime this week that would block states from regulating AI.
“There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI,” Trump wrote. “We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS… You can’t expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something. THAT WILL NEVER WORK!"
Many, including tech companies, agree that a single national rulebook would allow for a smoother process than a patchwork of state laws regulating AI.
Gov. Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser and Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez echoed that sentiment in a June 2024 joint statement after Polis signed the law.
“I think that that's a great idea, if they can actually do it,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat representing House District 27 who sponsored SB 24-205. “I don't think that [the federal government] can do it in a right way that actually protects people.”
The president’s proposed executive order comes after a 99-1 U.S. Senate vote in July to remove a provision from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would have prevented states from passing their own AI laws.
Congress has not passed comprehensive AI regulations, and while the technology rapidly advances, states like Colorado have decided to take action.
“If we wait for the federal government to do it, we could be waiting a very long time,” Titone told Denver7. “And if they do, it'll be influenced by all the money that goes into AI, and it will not be sufficient to really protect the people in this area… We're still going to move forward with what we need to do to regulate artificial intelligence and create a safer place for AI to to be around.”
Education
These Colo. high school seniors have seen AI go from afterthought to unavoidable
However, Titone expects Colorado’s law will change before it goes into effect in 2026. She says a sticking point has been the requirements for deployers — the organizations or companies using the AI products.
“We want the people who are deploying these products to be able to say, ‘I’ve been using this exactly the way that they told me to use it, and it created this result. So the blame should be placed on the party that developed it, because they did not do their due diligence in alleviating the harm that it caused,’” Titone said. “That's the fair thing to do, but nobody wants to be blamed, and nobody wants to have responsibility, because that costs money.”
It’s set to be a heated topic inside the State Capitol when the next legislative session kicks off next month.
“I know there's going to be several different bills [introduced] on AI in different areas,” Titone said. “There's going to be a whole bunch of different options, and it's going to really muddy the waters.”
Denver attorney Tyler Thompson advises clients on laws surrounding technology and AI.
“While regulation might be hard for companies, uncertainty is also hard for companies as well,” he told Denver7 Tuesday.
Thompson and Titone agree the White House will likely face legal challenges over the executive order.
“We could see this get contentious very quickly,” Thompson explained. “There's folks on both sides of the aisle, including Ron DeSantis in Florida, who's a Republican, who have kind of pushed back on this executive order and really view it as an encroachment of some of the roles of of the states.
“I think there's just people on both sides of the aisle that are skeptical of AI, or maybe just want more information about AI, want themselves protected from this uncertain future of AI.”
