#Colorado is going to lead the way on protecting its citizens from abusive practices by companies that are producing #AI engines and tools.

A bill introduced in the current session by Rep. Manny #Rutinel (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1212) is designed to offer specific whistleblower protections to software developers working on AI projects where they have reasonable cause to believe that their project could cause harm.

The bill, HB25-1212, is also called the "Public Safety Protections Artificial Intelligence" bill. (No clever recursive acronyms here.) It prohibits tech companies from retaliating against workers who report that AI engines or their training set may violate law, cause harm, or create a risk to public safety.

For years, folks like @pluralistic and the team at @404media have been sounding the alarm bells about the actual and potential harm AI creates. It has almost become a joke at this point. But we do not have to put up with endless abuse!

Technology workers are among the least well protected against employer malfeasance or malicious retaliation, and have among the lowest membership in organized labor, so I call on this community to support this bill and ask if you would be willing to testify in support of it. It will be introduced next week (date TBD).

Governor #Polis signed some AI safety bills (including a landmark AI consumer protection law last year, https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-205), but has been getting heavy pushback from the tech industry, and his support is flagging. Let's let Jared know that he needs to stand up for the people of this state, not enormous conglomerates.

Please reply or send me a Signal message if you're willing to lend your voice to support this important worker protection law. I will be posting regular updates about the schedule for its committee hearing as more information becomes available, and will send you specific instructions about how to register to testify (you can do so in writing, over Zoom, or in person at the state capitol in Denver). You do not need to be a Colorado (or even US) resident to testify.

LFG!