Colorado Gov. Polis Signs Sweeping AI Legislation

Coalition of local and national tech urged governor to veto

May 20, 2024

On Friday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed sweeping artificial intelligence legislation that threatens to undermine local AI startups and the state’s tech economy. Prior to the bill signing, a coalition of national organizations and local Colorado businesses spoke out against the bill, highlighting its sweeping scope and burdensome regulations that imperil a range of products and innovations.

“There’s a good reason that even Gov. Polis’s signing statement raises concerns about Colorado’s AI legislation: it threatens to wrap up the state’s tech economy in red tape,” said Chamber of Progress Adam Kovacevich. “Thankfully, there’s still time before this bill takes effect for state legislators to get AI regulations right.”

SB 205 has a lengthy implementation period, and will not go into effect until February 1, 2026.

Earlier this month, Chamber of Progress sent a veto letter to Governor Polis highlighting how SB 205 threatens to stifle innovation in Colorado and repress competition while failing to achieve its goal of protecting consumers. Last week, the organization held a press conference with founders and CEOs of local Colorado businesses including Minerva, Thumper.ai, and Storyvine.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.