Giorgia Meloni’s Italy has become the first European country to pass a comprehensive national law on AI, ahead of the EU’s AI Act.
The news, which has made headlines in recent days, is significant for several reasons. Firstly, because Italy is not exactly in the vanguard of technology or regulation. Secondly, because it poses an important dilemma: does it make sense for a member state to go ahead with its own regulations when there is already a community-wide framework?
The Italian law addresses highly topical issues: deepfakes, digital transparency, protecting minors, labeling AI-generated content and heavy fineson companies that fail to comply. In practice, it’s an early translation of the spirit of the AI Act, but with a level of detail and forcefulness similar to Spain’s recent proposals over labeling. The difference is that Italy has not limited itself to a symbolic announcement: it has already turned the proposal into law.
What immediately emerges is the comparison. While Italy approves its own law, in Spain we continue to discuss the future AI Law and the role of AESIA, Spain’s AI supervision agency, which while it has a structure, its real role is still to be defined, and its ability to monitor and sanction companies in such a complex field is unknown. Meanwhile, the government is…
