The Italian parliament on September 17 passed a new law on artificial intelligence (AI), making the country the first country in the European Union to have a comprehensive legal framework, in line with the EU's landmark AI Act.
This is considered an important step forward to balance technology innovation and protect citizens' rights.
According to the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the new law puts people at the center of the use of AI, emphasizing the principles of transparency, safety, innovation and cybersecurity.
The regulations are applied in many fields such as healthcare, labor, education, public administration, justice and sports, requiring the ability to trace the origin and monitor humans for all decisions made by AI.
A notable point is that the law limits AI access for children under 14 years old, requiring parental consent.
This law brings innovation back to the scope of public benefits, towards AI growth, rights and comprehensive protection for citizens, Deputy Minister in charge of digital transformation Alessio Butti emphasized.
Regarding the management organization, the Italian Digital Agency and the National Cyber Security Agency are designated as competent units in AI development, while the Bank of Italy and the market management agency Consob continue to maintain their specialized monitoring role.
The law also adds new criminal provisions, handling the act of illegally disseminating AI content, especially deepfake, with a prison sentence of one to five years if causing harm.
Other crimes such as identity theft or AI fraud will be punished more severely.
In copyright issues, works with AI support are still protected if they demonstrate creative intellectual efforts, while exploiting text and data using AI is only allowed with uncopyright content or for licensed scientific research.
The Italian government also allows the maximum use of 1 billion euros from the state adventure investment fund to support businesses in the fields of AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology and telecommunications.
However, critics say that this investment is too small compared to the scale of international programs.
In medicine, AI can support diagnosis and treatment, but doctors still have the final decision, and patients are guaranteed access to complete information.
With the new legal framework, Italy aims to both exploit the potential of AI and strictly protect the rights of the people.
