Automated Decision-Making Technology (ADMT)
Technology processing personal data to generate outputs used in decisions, judgments, or determinations concerning an individual.
How the laws define this
Core consensus establishes that automated decision-making technology refers to any system that processes personal data and uses computation to generate outputs—such as predictions, recommendations, classifications, or scores—used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. While all three frameworks share this foundational definition, they diverge noticeably in their listed exclusions. The instrument Concerning the use of automated decision-making technology in consequential decisions, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation excludes cybersecurity tools, web tools, spreadsheets, and tools for human review, while a second text under that title excludes routine software, simple spreadsheets, and informational chatbots. By contrast, Senate Bill 26-189 — A Bill Concerning the Use of Automated Decision-Making Technology in Consequential Decisions limits its exclusions to simple tools like calculators or spell-checkers.
Synthesised from the 3 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.
How jurisdictions differ
What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Status | What is distinctive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado, United States | Concerning the Use of Automated Decision-Making Technology in Consequential Decisions, and, in Connection Therewith, Making an Appropriation. | Awaiting Entry | This definition explicitly excludes cybersecurity tools, web tools, spreadsheets, and tools for human review, narrowing the scope more precisely than the other. |
| Colorado, United States | Senate Bill 26-189 — A Bill Concerning the Use of Automated Decision-Making Technology in Consequential Decisions | Awaiting Entry | This definition excludes simple tools like calculators or spell-checkers, providing a different set of exclusions compared to the other. |
What it triggers
- In Colorado, under Senate Bill 26-189, deployers and developers must ensure consumer transparency, disclosure, and the right to human review for consequential decisions made using this technology.source
Definitions (3)
Any technology that processes personal data and utilizes computation to produce outputs, including predictions, recommendations, classifications, rankings, scores, or other information that is subsequently used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. Excludes cybersecurity tools, web tools, spreadsheets, and tools for human review.
ADMT refers to technology that processes personal data and uses computation to produce outputs like predictions, recommendations, classifications, or scores. These outputs are then used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. It explicitly excludes routine software, simple spreadsheets, and informational chatbots.
Any technology that processes personal data and employs computation to generate outputs such as predictions, recommendations, classifications, rankings, or scores, which are then used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. Excludes simple tools like calculators or spell-checkers.
Questions and answers
What tools are excluded from automated decision-making technology under Colorado law?
Definition 1 excludes cybersecurity tools, web tools, spreadsheets, and tools for human review. Definition 2 excludes simple tools like calculators or spell-checkers.
What obligations apply to automated decision-making technology in Colorado?
Colorado Senate Bill 26-189 regulates developers and deployers by focusing on consumer transparency, disclosure, and the right to human review for consequential decisions.
How does Colorado define automated decision-making technology?
Both definitions describe technology processing personal data to generate outputs like predictions or scores used in decisions about individuals, with differing exclusions.