Key players include Governor Jared Polis, who convened the Working Group in October 2025 after reluctantly signing the 2024 Colorado AI Act (SB 24-205) and delaying it via 2025 amendments (SB 25B-004/AI Sunshine Act); the bipartisan Colorado AI Policy Working Group of industry, tech, business, civil rights, labor, and consumer advocates; original bill sponsor Senator Robert Rodriguez (initial backer); outgoing Attorney General Phil Weiser (rulemaking role); and stakeholders like tech/VC sectors opposing the original law.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The framework must become a formal bill, pass the legislature by May 2026 session end, and gain approval to take effect.[1][4][5][15]
The 2024 Colorado AI Act was the U.S.'s first comprehensive AI law, targeting "high-risk" systems to prevent algorithmic discrimination via developer/deployer duties, originally effective February 1, 2026 but postponed to June 30 amid criticism for burdening innovation.[1][3][5][6][7][9] Failed 2025 revision attempts and a special session led Polis to form the closed-door Working Group for consensus.[3][4][5][8][9]
Newsworthy now amid the 2026 legislative session's final weeks (ending ~May), as the proposal's unanimous support offers a timely, business-friendly path to avert the "unworkable" original law's enforcement, balancing consumer protections with AI innovation in a pioneering U.S. state amid national/EU AI regulatory debates.[1][3][4][5][11] Polis hailed it as protecting Coloradans without stifling growth; next steps hinge on swift bill introduction and passage.[6][7]