No, Colorado's new chatbot law does not apply to your AI receptionist

Colorado's new Chatbot Safety Act (HB 26-1263) does not apply to your AI receptionist, and the bill says so in its own definitions section. It excludes anything "primarily designed to provide commerce-related or transactional assistance, including product or service recommendations, shopping, ordering, payments, delivery, returns, customer support, or customer service" (per the signed bill text, section 6-1-1701(3.5)(b)(II)). An AI that answers your phones, books jobs, and takes messages is exactly that.

What is this law actually about, then?

It's aimed at companion chatbots and minors, not business tools. Colorado signed HB 26-1263 on May 29, 2026, and its operator duties (AI disclosure, age estimation, blocking sexual content, suicide and self-harm protocols) take effect January 1, 2027 (same bill text, section 6-1-1708). Read the actual requirements and the target is obvious - services built to simulate emotional companionship, romantic roleplay, or ongoing "relationship" chat aimed at kids and teens. That's a real problem worth regulating. It's just not what a business phone system does.

Where does the bill actually say my AI receptionist is excluded?

Right in the definitions, before any of the duties even start. The bill defines "conversational artificial intelligence service" and then carves out a list of exclusions. Two of them describe a business AI receptionist almost word for word:

• Anything "primarily designed to provide commerce-related or transactional assistance, including product or service recommendations, shopping, ordering, payments, delivery, returns, customer support, or customer service."
• Anything "primarily designed and marketed for commercial use by business entities for... business operations, productivity... or technical assistance," or "used by a business solely for internal purposes."

Both quoted directly from the signed bill PDF, section 6-1-1701(3.5)(b). That's not a loophole I'm reading into it. It's written directly into what the law defines as covered in the first place.

Is there a companion law I should know about too?

Yes, and it works the same way. Colorado also signed SB 26-189 on May 14, 2026, which rewrites the state's older AI Act around "automated decision-making technology" used in consequential decisions like hiring, lending, and housing (per the signed bill text). That's a different target again - high-stakes decisions about a person, not a receptionist scheduling an appointment. Its duties also start January 1, 2027.

Is any of this still up for debate?

Yes, for a few more days. The Colorado Attorney General opened a pre-rulemaking public comment window for both acts, running June 15 to July 13, 2026 (per the Colorado AG's official comment page). If you run a business in Colorado and want the final rules written with businesses like yours in mind, that window is open right now, not next year.

So what should I actually do with this?

Nothing changes about how you run an AI receptionist today. The exemption is already in the law's own text, not a hopeful interpretation of it. If you want to be extra careful, keep your AI clearly framed as customer service and support, which is what it already is, and don't let it drift into anything that reads as companionship or relationship chat.

If you're weighing whether an AI receptionist makes sense for your business at all, that's a separate and much simpler question than this one. And if you want a clear-eyed look at where your calls and leads are actually falling through, a free Revenue Leak Audit is the place to start.