In a pioneering move, Italy's parliament gave final approval to a comprehensive national law regulating artificial intelligence, making it the first European Union member state to enact such sweeping legislation. The law, which aligns with the broader principles of the EU's landmark AI Act, establishes a "human-centric" framework for the development and use of AI, introducing strict penalties for malicious use, new rules for copyright, and specific protections for vulnerable groups. A central feature of the Italian law is its focus on accountability and the prevention of AI-related harms. It introduces new criminal offenses, establishing prison sentences of one to five years for the unlawful creation or dissemination of AI-generated content, such as deepfakes, that causes harm to another person. The use of AI as an aggravating factor in other crimes, including fraud and identity theft, will also lead to harsher penalties.The legislation extends its reach into several key sectors, mandating human oversight and transparency for AI systems used in healthcare, education, public administration, and the justice system.
In healthcare, for example, AI can be used to assist in diagnosis, but doctors must retain final decision-making authority, and patients have the right to be informed about the use of AI in their care. The law also addresses the complex issue of intellectual property, stipulating that copyright protection applies to works created with AI assistance only if they represent the result of a human author's intellectual effort. It permits text and data mining for training AI models but limits this to non-copyrighted content or for authorized scientific research. In a significant measure aimed at protecting minors, the law requires parental consent for children under the age of 14 to access AI systems.
To enforce the new rules, the government has designated two national authorities: the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) and the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN). To spur innovation alongside regulation, the law authorizes a €1 billion state-backed venture capital fund to invest in Italian companies active in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies. The passage of the law, after a year of debate, reflects the Italian government's stated goal of forging an "Italian way to artificial intelligence" that balances technological growth with the protection of fundamental rights. As the first national implementation of the EU AI Act's principles, Italy's legislation will be closely watched by other member states and could serve as a model for how to translate the bloc-wide framework into specific, enforceable national law.
Source: The Guardian