- On September 17, 2025, the Italian Parliament passed comprehensive AI legislation, becoming the first EU country to have a legal framework consistent with the European Union’s AI Act.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government emphasized the principle that AI must be human-centric, transparent, and safe, while also encouraging innovation, security, and privacy protection.
- The law applies across multiple sectors: healthcare, labor, public administration, justice, education, and sports, requiring traceability and human oversight in all AI decisions.
- Children under 14 are only allowed to use AI with parental consent.
- Illegal dissemination of AI-generated content (such as deepfakes) can be subject to 1-5 years imprisonment if it causes harm. Using AI for fraud or identity impersonation will result in increased penalties.
- Copyright regulations: AI-assisted works are still protected if they demonstrate creative intellectual effort; text/data mining using AI is only legal for non-copyrighted content or for scientific research.
- The government appointed the Italian Digital Agency and the National Cybersecurity Agency as AI regulatory bodies; the Bank of Italy and Consob retain their supervisory roles within their respective scopes.
- Italy is allocating up to 1 billion euros (≈1.18 billion USD) from its state venture capital fund to support businesses in AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and telecommunications.
- In healthcare, AI is permitted to assist in diagnosis and treatment, but doctors remain the final decision-makers, and patients have the right to full information.
- In labor, employers must inform employees when AI is applied in the workplace.
📌 On September 17, 2025, the Italian Parliament passed comprehensive AI legislation, becoming the first EU country to have a legal framework consistent with the European Union’s AI Act. The law requires traceability and human oversight in all applications, prohibits children under 14 from using AI without parental consent, and imposes prison sentences of up to 5 years for harmful deepfakes. The law also protects AI-assisted works and invests 1 billion euros in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technology. This is a strategic step to balance innovation and citizen protection.
