Italy Is Pioneer in EU to Enact Comprehensive Legislation Regulating Use of AI
Italy has become the initial nation in the European Union to approve a comprehensive regulation governing the application of AI, featuring enforcing prison terms on those who employ the innovation to cause harm, such as producing deepfakes, and restricting youth access.
The rightwing government stated that the bill, which complements the European Union's pioneering Artificial Intelligence Act, is a decisive move in shaping how AI is utilized across the country.
The aim is to encourage “human-centric, clear and safe AI use” while highlighting “innovation, cybersecurity and privacy protections”.
The legislation introduces prison sentences of between one and five years for the unauthorized spreading of artificially created or manipulated material if it causes harm.
There will additionally be stricter penalties for employing the technology to carry out crimes, including deception and personal data theft, and stricter transparency and human oversight guidelines regulating how the tool is applied in workplaces as well as in a range of industries such as medical care, schooling, justice and athletics.
Furthermore, minors under the years of 14 will need parental consent to use AI.
When it comes to intellectual property, the law stipulates that works produced with AI assistance are safeguarded if they originate from genuine creative input, while AI-driven content extraction will only be allowed for public domain information or scientific research by authorised institutions.
A state representative said that the act “returns progress back within the scope of the common good, guiding AI toward development, freedoms and full protection of citizens”.
The administration has appointed national bodies to implement the legislation, which obtained its final approval in the parliament after a twelve months of debate.
Discussing the topic of AI last year, the leader said: “There should and will be an national approach when it comes to artificial intelligence, an domestic method to develop AI and an local strategy to regulate artificial intelligence.”
She viewed the innovation to be “the biggest revolution of our time”, but added it could only achieve its full potential “if it is created within a framework of moral guidelines that focus on people and their entitlements and requirements”.
The law authorises up to one billion euros from a government-supported investment scheme to aid businesses engaged in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and telecommunications, although critics contend the sum is modest compared with investments being made by other nations.
