Colorado’s 2026 Automated-Decision and Chatbot Laws

Colorado replaced its earlier AI framework and added protections addressing teen chatbot use.

What happened—and what the record establishes

Colorado’s 2026 legislation repealed and reenacted provisions governing automated decision-making technology used to materially influence consequential decisions. The revised framework creates duties for developers and deployers and consumer rights concerning inaccurate personal data.

Colorado also enacted a Chatbot Safety Act addressing age estimation, disclosure that users are interacting with AI, protections against sexually explicit content and simulated emotional dependence for teens, privacy tools, and suicide/self-harm response protocols. The Attorney General is developing implementation rules.

Because the provisions take effect January 1, 2027 and rulemaking is ongoing, businesses and consumers should rely on final statutory text and adopted rules—not older summaries of the 2024 act.

Questions the law must answer

• Is a system covered as automated decision-making technology?
• Does it materially influence a consequential decision?
• What teen-safety and reporting duties apply to a conversational AI service?

Practical takeaways

• The 2026 law changed the earlier Colorado framework.
• Effective dates matter.
• Rulemaking may clarify compliance details before 2027.