When it comes to regulating emerging industries and technologies, it’s always smart to move carefully and thoughtfully. And sometimes it’s best to take a step back.
The latter dynamic is playing out now in Colorado, where last year Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation known as Consumer Protections for Artificial Intelligence (CPAI) into law, making his state the first to codify curtailing the perceived risks of “algorithmic discrimination.” Since then, however, Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser and even Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have all called on the legislature to delay or reform the measure before it takes effect next February.
Colorado’s first attempt to improve or delay the legislation failed earlier this month, and now lessons abound for other states considering new AI laws. Most importantly, states should think twice before passing burdensome laws they may soon regret. Instead, they should apply existing frameworks wherever possible and step in only when real, demonstrable harms cannot be addressed through laws already on the books.
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Nate Karren is a policy analyst with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, follow us on X @ConsumerPal.