Italy has signed a law regulating the use of artificial intelligence. This Italy AI law includes imposing prison terms on those who use Artificial Intelligence to cause harm, such as generating deepfakes.
The legislation aligns with the EU’s landmark AI Act. It also restricts child access, with children under the age of 14 needing parental consent to access AI. This aims to promote “human-centric, transparent and safe AI use” while emphasizing “innovation, cybersecurity and privacy protections”.
Prison Sentence Introduced
The bill introduces prison sentences of between one and five years for the illegal spreading of AI-generated or manipulated content if it causes harm. The law also includes harsher penalties for using the technology to commit crimes, including fraud and identity theft.
There are also stricter transparency and human oversight rules governing how the technology is used in workplaces as well as in a range of sectors such as healthcare, education, justice and sport.
When it comes to copyright, the law stipulates that works created with AI assistance are protected if they originate from genuine intellectual effort. Meanwhile, AI-driven text and data mining will only be permitted for non-copyrighted content or scientific research by authorized institutions.
Alessio Butti, the undersecretary for digital transformation, said the law “brings innovation back within the perimeter of the public interest. It steers AI toward growth, rights and full protection of citizens”.
In March last year, Italian PM Meloni said: “There can and must be an Italian way when it comes to artificial intelligence, an Italian way to develop artificial intelligence and an Italian way to govern artificial intelligence.”
The government has appointed the Agency for Digital Italy and the National Cybersecurity Agency to enforce the legislation, which received its final approval in the parliament after a year of debate.
The law also authorises up to €1bn (£870m) from a state-backed venture capital fund to support companies active in AI, cybersecurity and telecommunications.