What the law covers
Senate Bill 24-205 regulates high-risk AI systems: those that make, or are a substantial factor in making, a consequential decision about a consumer. Decisions about employment or an employment opportunity are consequential decisions, so AI used to screen or assess candidates is covered.
The law places duties on developers, who build these systems, and deployers, who use them. An employer using AI in hiring for Colorado residents is generally a deployer. The Colorado Attorney General enforces it; there is no private right of action.
The original effective date of 1 February 2026 was delayed to 30 June 2026 by a 2025 special-session bill. Further amendments have been discussed, so check the current status.
What deployers must do
Some duties do not apply to small deployers that meet specific conditions, including having fewer than 50 full-time employees.
- Use reasonable care to protect consumers from known or reasonably foreseeable risks of algorithmic discrimination.
- Implement a risk management policy and programme for the high-risk system.
- Complete an impact assessment, at least yearly and within 90 days of a substantial modification.
- Notify consumers before a high-risk system is used to make a consequential decision about them, and describe its purpose.
- After an adverse decision, explain the principal reasons, and offer a chance to correct inaccurate data and to appeal, with human review where technically feasible.
- Publish a statement summarising the high-risk systems in use and how discrimination risks are managed, and report discovered algorithmic discrimination to the Attorney General within 90 days.
How SynergicHire supports deployers
| Duty | What SynergicHire does |
|---|---|
| Notice before use | Candidates are told what an AI reads, what is recorded and who decides, before they apply and before a screen or round. |
| Principal reasons | Every score cites the answer or edit it rests on, so the reasons for an outcome can be stated from the record. |
| Human review | A named person signs off every round and records every outcome. Nothing is rejected automatically. |
| Monitoring for discrimination | Selection-rate and per-decision exports support impact assessments and bias reviews. |
| Records | An append-only activity log of who did what, including exports and deletions. |
This is general information, not legal advice
This page summarises the law at a high level as we understand it on the date below. Laws, regulations and official guidance change, and how they apply depends on your circumstances. Speak to your own counsel before relying on it.
Using SynergicHire does not make an employer compliant on its own. The risk management programme, impact assessments, public statement, correction and appeal process, and any report to the Attorney General are the deployer's duties. SynergicHire supplies records and data that support them.
Questions
When does the Colorado AI Act take effect?
30 June 2026, after a 2025 law delayed the original 1 February 2026 date. Check for later amendments before relying on it.
Does the Colorado AI Act apply to hiring?
Yes. Employment decisions are consequential decisions, so AI that makes or is a substantial factor in hiring decisions is a high-risk system under the law.
Do candidates have a right to appeal under the Colorado AI Act?
After an adverse consequential decision, deployers must offer an opportunity to correct inaccurate personal data and to appeal, with human review where technically feasible.
Who enforces the Colorado AI Act?
The Colorado Attorney General has exclusive enforcement authority. The law does not create a private right of action.