Italy’s parliament has passed a new law regulating artificial intelligence, making it the first country in the European Union to adopt nationwide rules in line with the EU’s landmark AI Act.
The legislation, driven by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, sets human-centric, transparent and safe AI use as its guiding principles, while also focusing on innovation, cybersecurity and privacy. It applies across key sectors including healthcare, education, work, justice, public administration and sport. The law requires traceability and human oversight in AI decision-making and restricts access for children under 14 without parental consent.
“This brings innovation back within the perimeter of the public interest, steering AI toward growth, rights and full protection of citizens,” said Alessio Butti, the undersecretary for digital transformation.
Two national authorities, the Agency for Digital Italy and the National Cybersecurity Agency, have been tasked with overseeing AI development, while existing regulators such as the Bank of Italy and market watchdog Consob will continue their supervisory roles.
The law introduces criminal penalties for the unlawful spread of AI-generated content, including deepfakes, with punishments ranging from one to five years in prison if harm is caused. It also imposes tougher penalties for crimes like identity theft and fraud when AI is misused.
On copyright, works created with AI are protected if they involve intellectual effort, while text and data mining is only permitted for non-copyrighted material or for scientific research conducted by authorised institutions.
The government has pledged up to 1 billion euros from a state-backed venture capital fund to support small-to-medium enterprises and large firms working in AI, quantum technologies, telecoms and cybersecurity. However, critics argue that the funding is modest compared with global initiatives.
In healthcare, AI will be allowed to support diagnosis and patient care, but doctors will retain the final decision-making authority and patients will continue to have the right to be fully informed. In workplaces, employers must inform staff whenever AI systems are in use.
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