Colorado lawmakers seek new AI safeguards
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Reps. Gabe Evans and Brittany Pettersen. Photos: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
AI's catastrophic risks to humanity are fueling fresh calls for regulation, with Colorado lawmakers in both parties agreeing that more guardrails are needed.
Why it matters: Public alarm over the rapidly advancing technology is creating a rare bipartisan opening in Congress to act.
What they're saying: "There's something in the world that now scares me more than Donald Trump," U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) says in a statement about AI.
- Pettersen is calling for stronger industry standards, including independent audits and mandatory incident reporting.
Zoom out: Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper warns "we're entering a new and dangerous era" for AI.
- He co-introduced bipartisan legislation last year aimed at developing standards for how AI systems are built and tested.
- In a statement, Hickenlooper — who says he frequently uses AI — also urges the White House to confront the technology's risks.
- U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) similarly stressed the need for protections around privacy and national security.
Yes, but: At least one lawmaker questions whether Congress can move quickly enough to keep pace with the technology.
- "Unfortunately, Congress will never be able to move fast enough to do so," Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet says in a statement.
- Still, Bennet proposes creating an independent agency for rule-making and oversight of AI and other platforms.
Across the aisle, U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Fort Lupton) backs legislation calling for "common sense guardrails" to protect consumers.
- The House on Wednesday passed a bill Evans led aimed at curbing AI data center costs.
But his approach also underscores a broader divide over what AI rules should look like.
- Another bill backed by Evans promotes American-developed AI models while imploring federal officials to scrutinize models from foreign adversaries.
- Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado Springs) put the onus on AI companies, calling for "safety nets" on product development to protect the economy and national security.
U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Windsor), Jeff Hurd (R-Grand Junction) and Joe Neguse (D-Lafayette) did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
The bottom line: Many Colorado lawmakers agree AI needs guardrails.
- The fight is over what those rules should look like and whether Washington can get regulation done in time.