European Turning Point: Italy, the First EU Member State to Adopt an Artificial Intelligence Law
Italy became the first member state of the European Union to adopt a comprehensive national law on artificial intelligence on September 17, 2025. Law No. 132/2025 entered into force on October 10, 2025.
What Are the Basic Principles of the Adopted Law?
The law is aligned with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation 2024/1689), but establishes additional national provisions. The basic principles include:
- Transparency and accountability: Artificial intelligence systems must be clearly labeled and monitored.
- Human oversight: Decisions based on AI must remain under human control.
- Data protection: Compliance with privacy protection principles and the GDPR.
- Non-discrimination: AI systems must not discriminate based on gender or other characteristics.
- Safety and reliability: Obligation to ensure the safe functioning of AI systems.
Defining Specific Sectoral Provisions and Their Impact on Existing Structures
- Healthcare: AI can support diagnosis and treatment, but medical professionals must make final decisions. Patients must be informed about the use of AI technologies.
- Employment: Employers must inform employees about the use of AI systems and provide appropriate training. A National Observatory is established to monitor the impact of AI on employment.
- Judiciary: AI can function only as a support tool and cannot replace the assessment and decision-making of judges.
- Minors: Parents must give consent for access to AI technologies for children under 14, while minors between 14 and 18 can give their own consent.
- Copyright: The law protects works created with the help of AI systems, provided they are the result of the “intellectual work” of a human author.
- Criminal penalties: A new criminal offense is introduced for the unlawful dissemination of AI-generated content (such as “deepfakes”), with prison sentences ranging from one to five years.
- Investments: Up to 1 billion euros has been allocated to support companies in AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and telecommunications.
Conclusion, Key Points
Italy has set a precedent as the first EU member state to adopt a national AI law, demonstrating a proactive approach to regulating technology before it becomes a problem.
This is a significant move because many countries are still considering how to approach AI regulation. The law clearly places humans at the center – AI is a tool, not a replacement for human judgment.
This is particularly important in sensitive areas such as healthcare, judiciary, and employment, where final decisions must remain in the hands of people.
Italy has managed to find a balance: on one hand, it invests 1 billion euros in the AI industry and supports innovation, and on the other hand, it sets clear ethical boundaries and protects citizens from abuse.
This shows that regulation does not have to stifle technological development. Unlike many regulations that remain on paper, the Italian law introduces concrete criminal penalties (1–5 years in prison for “deepfake” abuses), clear information obligations, and specific rules for different sectors.
This therefore makes the law applicable and effective. Serbia and other countries in the Balkans can learn from the Italian experience. The law shows how AI can be regulated at the national level while remaining aligned with EU standards, which is particularly relevant for countries in the process of European integration.
Special attention has been devoted to the protection of minors (parental consent required for children under 14) and the prevention of discrimination, which shows that technological progress must not come at the expense of fundamental human rights.
A Message for the Future
This law sends a clear message: the AI revolution must be responsible. Transparency, human oversight, data protection, and ethics are not obstacles to innovation – they are its foundation. Italy shows that it is possible to be a technologically advanced country that simultaneously protects its citizens.
To conclude, the Italian AI law represents a pragmatic and humane approach to regulating a technology that will define the future. It is an example of how laws can keep pace with rapid technological changes without losing sight of what matters most – the well-being of people.
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