Italy passes comprehensive AI law
taly has passed the EU’s first national artificial intelligence law, setting rules for privacy, oversight, and child access. The law requires human oversight of AI decisions, restricts use by under-14s without parental consent, and introduces penalties for harmful AI uses like deepfakes. It also allocates €1 billion to support AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technology, though critics say this funding is modest compared to global efforts.
Italy has become the first European Union country to pass a national law on artificial intelligence that mirrors the EU’s broader AI Act. Approved by parliament on 17 September 2025, the new law sets out clear rules for the use of AI across sectors such as healthcare, justice, education, public administration, work, and sports.
The legislation emphasises transparency, accountability, and privacy, requiring AI systems to be traceable and subject to human oversight. It also introduces age-based restrictions, barring children under 14 from accessing AI tools without parental consent. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government framed the law as a way to ensure that innovation advances within the boundaries of public interest and citizen protection.
The law strengthens enforcement by designating the Agency for Digital Italy and the National Cybersecurity Agency as the primary national authorities for AI oversight, while financial and market regulators retain their roles. It also establishes criminal penalties for harmful uses of AI, including the spread of malicious deepfakes, with prison sentences ranging from one to five years. Misuse of AI in crimes such as identity theft and fraud will now carry harsher punishments.
On copyright, the law clarifies that AI-assisted works are eligible for protection if they involve human intellectual effort, while text and data mining with AI tools is only permitted for non-copyrighted content or for scientific research by authorised institutions.
To boost the sector, Italy has earmarked up to €1 billion ($1.18 billion) from a state-backed venture capital fund to invest in small, medium, and large companies working in AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and telecommunications. However, some critics argue that this funding falls short when compared to international AI investment programs.
