Italy has lately turn out to be the primary European nation to go a complete legislation regulating the usage of synthetic intelligence. But what precisely do the brand new guidelines say?
Italy’s new AI legislation was accredited by parliament on Wednesday, September seventeenth – practically one and a half years after it was first proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cupboard in April 2024.
The legislation, which is a part of broader authorities plans to stop misuse of AI know-how and shield residents’ rights, expressly aligns itself with the European Union AI Act, which turned legislation in 2024, however will turn out to be totally operational in August 2026.
The new guidelines are believed to have established an necessary basis for AI regulation in Italy, appearing as a blueprint for future legislative steps.
Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper mentioned final week that the legislation “lays down ideas, values, and aims” for the way forward for AI within the nation.
So what’s within the new guidelines that it is best to learn about?
Criminalising dangerous AI and limiting youngsters’s entry
Italy’s AI legislation introduces strict penalties for the unlawful sharing of ‘dangerous’ AI content material, together with deepfakes.
Under the brand new guidelines, individuals discovered to have created or disseminated dangerous AI-generated content material are punishable with a jail sentence of between one and 5 years.
These sentencing tips go a step additional than the EU’s 2024 AI Act, which doesn’t instantly sort out prison offences.
READ ALSO: 14 important apps to make your life in Italy simpler
The new legislation additionally units an age restrict for AI use, prohibiting youngsters underneath the age of 14 from accessing AI know-how with out parental consent.
Italy’s authorities mentioned that two companies – the Agency for Digital Italy and the National Cybersecurity Agency – could be tasked with implementing the brand new age restrict, with out offering additional particulars on the way it will truly be enforced.
Advertisement
Using AI at work
Besides setting out an age restrict for the usage of AI, the brand new legislation defines the extent to which AI know-how needs to be utilized in skilled settings.
The new guidelines require employers to supervise how AI is utilized in sectors together with healthcare, training, and the justice system.
READ ALSO: 5 key digital assets that can assist you tackle Italian paperwork
They additionally state that AI can be utilized to help with day by day work duties, however last selections have to be made by a human.
Details on how precisely these necessities can be enforced in future haven’t been outlined but.
Criticism
Some Italian civil society teams have criticised Italy’s new AI invoice, arguing that it doesn’t do sufficient to deal with privateness issues.
In explicit, critics have pointed to the shortage of an impartial oversight authority, in addition to the absence of parameters stopping abuse of biometric recognition in public areas.
Advertisement
Laura Ferrari, Public Affairs Specialist and Policy Officer at NGO The Good Lobby, mentioned that Italy’s new AI legislation “grants extreme energy to the federal government, with out ample democratic checks and balances”.
“We worry important safety implications, which we count on to see within the coming months, beginning with biometric surveillance,” she added.
