Colorado Governor Jared Police signed a law last week amending a previously passed state law.
Senate Bill 24-205 (SB 24-205), also known as the Colorado AI Act, was enacted in May to protect consumers from high-risk AI systems by implementing a risk management program. AI systems can pose a risk of discrimination and bias in areas such as employment and education. Since passing the Colorado AI Act, some people have been working to slow the regulations coming into effect.
Signed in May, SB 24-205 requires AI developers to protect consumers from “reasonably foreseeable risk or algorithmic discrimination.” Meanwhile, the Senate Bill 25B-004 (SB 25B-004) – Signed August 28th – The initial law will be amended to delay the implementation from February 1st to 2026, from June 30th, 2026 to June 30th, 2026.
The newly signed SB 25B-004, also known as the AI Sunshine Act, maintains key transparency and accountability measures from the Colorado AI Act. The Act aims to ensure Coloradan is protected from foreseeable risks in the high-risk system through impact assessments, disclosures and publicly published risk summaries. Developers must provide risk information to deployers. According to the AI Sunshine Act, the important change is the implementation date.
The proposed law was originally intended to simplify the original law and reduce the obligations of Colorado business, but as it passed, effectively replaces the obligations enacted by the initial law, although a adjusted timeline.
The AI Sunshine Act received support from a coalition of over 50 local and national civil society organizations, including the Center for Democracy Technology, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, the Coalition of Mutual Disability Union of Colorado, AARP Colorado, and the National Employment Law Project.
A statement from the group emphasized that these further delays in accountability and transparency protection would not protect Coloradan from the risks posed by automated decision-making systems and would reward “incompromise” in negotiations between public and business interest groups.
“Consumers want this,” state House District Rep. Brianna Chitone said in a statement. “Voting after the vote. Consumers want us to do something with AI.”
Some stakeholders are urging that the Colorado AI Act should be adjusted or eliminated prior to the initial February 2026 deadline. State lawmakers have looked into several bills to amend state rules. Ultimately, the deadline change was the only AI law amendment enacted during the state special session.
President Donald Trump’s new AI action plan includes allowances for the federal government to limit funding to states under AI policies. However, there is bipartisan support to maintain state powers to regulate AI technology.
