Amid a groundbreaking move, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has enacted strict AI regulations and has made Italy the first EU nation to impose prison terms for malicious AI use, marking a critical shift in global digital governance.
AI continues to grow in scope, power and popularity, and it was only a matter of time before the government begins to curb it and introduce laws to protect its users.
As the Guardian reported, Italy has just become the first country in the European Union to approve a new law regulating AI. And they’re more than a slap on the wrist.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is trying to impose prison conditions on people who use AI in harmful ways. Using AI for crimes such as fraud or identity theft will result in illegal creation or spreading deepfakes that cause harm will be punished in prisons for up to five years.
Currently, workplaces fall under new laws, with stricter surveillance and transparency rules for AI use. It also increases the rules and surveillance of AI used in the private sector, such as healthcare, education, sports and justice.
Perhaps the most restrictive new law relates to children’s access to AI. In Italy, people under the age of 14 now need parental consent before interacting with AI.
This fresh AI law from Italy is consistent with the EU’s 2023 AI law, the first law of its kind around the world, aiming to protect its citizens from the inherent risks associated with the use of AI.
The Meloni government says the law hopes to create “human-centered, transparent and safe use of AI” while simultaneously highlighting “innovation, cybersecurity and privacy protection.”
Some of that innovation will undoubtedly come from the euro 1 billion venture capital funds the state has set aside to invest in companies using AI such as telecoms, cybersecurity companies, Quantum Tech and others.
Also, in terms of copyright, the new Italian law protects work created with the help of AI, as long as the work was originally created using traditional human brain power.
When used to mine data and text using AI, only non-cooperative equipment content is permitted. Institutions that are permitted to conduct scientific research will clearly get a pass.
Copyright regulations can be difficult to implement, but for creators who have been calling for AI companies over the years with absurd scraping of human-created content, it is a step in the right direction.
Digital Italian agencies and national cybersecurity agencies are being tapped to enforce Italy’s new AI laws.
Is it time for AI to be better regulated?
Since its rise in 2023, AI has taken over the digital world and is increasingly influential. It certainly is a boon for many people, but the pendulum swings badly in the opposite direction.
ChatGpt CEO Sam Altman said in 2024 that it is impossible to create AI like ChatGPT without using copyrighted materials, in 2024 amid an ongoing court battle over allegations of intellectual property theft.
Remember the studio ghibli meme trend earlier this year? It was fun while it continued, but it was a prime example of stealing copyrighted works for their own purposes.
Elsewhere, a 2025 report from AI financial crime prevention company Feedzai found that “more than 50% of frauds are involved in the use of artificial intelligence.” In addition to that number, around 44% of con artists use AI deepfakes in their schemes.
Another famous case includes 16-year-old Adam Lane, who tragically took his life in April. The lawsuit filed by Raine’s family against Openai, the creator of ChatGpt, alleges that the teen committed suicide after “monthly encouragement from ChatGpt.”
The new Italian parental consent rules for children under the age of 14 do not necessarily prevent Rain’s premature death, but we hope that other susceptible young people will prevent them from defeating their prey.
Italy is the first EU country to pass this type of AI law, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see more governments within the federation using this example to create their own laws.
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