What does the Italian law on artificial intelligence provide
The Council of Ministers has given the green light to the bill on Artificial Intelligence. From the investments allocated by the government to support startups to the sanctions provided, including prison sentences, against the perpetrators of AI-related crimes. All the details
The Italian law on artificial intelligence presented.
On April 23, the Council of Ministers approved the long-awaited bill aimed at establishing the ground rules for the use of artificial intelligence.
The rules intervene in five areas: the national strategy, the national authorities [Agency for Digital Italy and National Cybersecurity Agency], promotional actions [subsidies and allocation of investments in the sector], protection of copyright, criminal sanctions [for crimes related to artificial intelligence including dental penalties], explains the statement from Palazzo Chigi.
With this provision, Italy is the first country to decline the European AI Act regulation, approved last month by the European Parliament .
The Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, the Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso and the Undersecretary with responsibility for Innovation, Alessio Butti, presented the approved measures to the press.
As already anticipated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the bill provides for an initial investment of up to 1 billion euros to promote artificial intelligence projects and startups, which will be supported by CDP, and in particular by CDP Venture Capital. “These are the first resources, even if they are substantial, then we will see if there are further needs,” Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said at a press conference.
The Italian government is the first government that "legislates on the subject of artificial intelligence, moreover with an instrument which is the bill and not the decree law, even though many had recognized the requirements of necessity and urgency" underlined Undersecretary Butti. The choice of the bill depends on the will of the resident of the Council who, on such a delicate matter, wishes there to be "a close discussion at parliamentary level".
All the details.
RESOURCES DESTINED FOR AI
The provision, said Minister Urso, “directs one billion euros from the innovation fund to venture capital managed by CDP on the one hand to facilitate the creation of start-ups and to grow existing start-ups operating in AI, and on the anything else to allow the creation of a national champion like other EU countries do."
“In total, for the sector, therefore, for now we go from 1.15 billion initially hypothesized to 1 billion, with a leverage effect estimated at at least 3 times through the involvement of other private funds” highlights Il Sole 24 Ore .
We have 4 million SMEs – continued Urso – and we must put them in a position to use this challenging technology. The goal is to create a fair AI market with no barriers to entry. The involvement of SMEs in the innovative process that AI offers is a central theme." The Minister explained that the billion euros "will be allocated to venture capital, managed by Cdp, precisely in order to facilitate the birth and development of start-ups, also through the purchase of capital shares. We also want to allow the creation of a national champion, as happens in other countries. They are the first resources, albeit significant."
GOVERNANCE
Afterwards, the undersecretary for technological innovation, Alessio Butti, explained that the bill defines who develops the strategy (Palazzo Chigi), who monitors and supervises (Agid and Acn) and who notifies and sanctions.
As already anticipated by government representatives last month , the law on AI therefore provides that the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) and the National Cybersecurity Agency (Acn) will be the national authorities on artificial intelligence .
The two Authorities will have to "ensure the application and implementation of national and European Union legislation on artificial intelligence", indicates the press release from Palazzo Chigi. Specifically, the bill reports, the AgID is "responsible for promoting innovation and the development of artificial intelligence" and also provides for "defining the procedures and exercising the functions and tasks relating to evaluation, accreditation and monitoring of the subjects responsible for verifying the compliance of the artificial intelligence systems, in accordance with the provisions of national and European Union legislation".
For its part, the ACN, however, "for the purposes of ensuring the protection of national cybersecurity, is responsible for the supervision, including inspection and sanctioning activities, of artificial intelligence systems, in accordance with the provisions of national and European Union legislation . The ACN is also responsible for the promotion and development of artificial intelligence in relation to cybersecurity profiles".
CONCESSIONS FOR RESEARCHERS
Furthermore, the Italian law for artificial intelligence "to attract experts, extends tax breaks for repatriates also to those who have worked on AI abroad" reports Ansa .
Specifically, tax breaks are also provided for researchers who have carried out research abroad in the field of artificial intelligence technologies. The rule, explained the undersecretary for technological innovation Alessio Butti, is aimed at those returning from the United States but also from other European countries.
COPYRIGHT
As regards the protection of copyright, measures are envisaged, as part of the "Consolidated law for the provision of audiovisual media services", aimed at encouraging the identification and recognition of artificial intelligence systems in the creation of content textual, photographic, audiovisual and radio. Content that has been completely or partially generated, modified or altered by artificial intelligence systems, in such a way as to present as real data, facts and information that is not, must have an identifying element or sign, including watermark or embedded marking with the acronym "IA" or, in the audio case, through audio announcements or with technologies suitable to allow recognition. An exception to this marking is a manifestly creative, satirical, artistic or fictitious work or program, without prejudice to protections for the rights and freedoms of third parties.
MEASURES ON THE JUSTICE SIDE
Finally, the provision establishes sanctions (including criminal ones) for crimes related to artificial intelligence. “If unjust damage is caused then the criminal sanction is triggered”, announced the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio during the press conference at the end of the Council of Ministers which gave the green light to the bill on artificial intelligence
“Whoever causes unfair damage to a person by sending, transferring, publishing or otherwise disseminating without his consent images, videos or voices falsified or altered through the use of artificial intelligence systems, and capable of misleading as to their genuineness, is punished with imprisonment from 1 to 5 years" continued the Keeper of the Seals.
“The punishment is aggravated in the case of crimes of money laundering, fraud, market manipulation: the use of artificial intelligence increases the punishment by a third,” added Nordio. “The pathological aspect can be devastating, artificial intelligence can create a reality that is no longer virtual but real, a representation of a realistic person, not like the old photomontage in which falsification was perceived, a real world can be created, provoke damage". Speaking about the penalties provided for in the bill approved today, Nordio observed: "We will once again talk about pan-criminalism but the advent of new technologies, precisely because it can create problems that have gaps in protection, must be filled with a criminal law".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/cosa-prevede-la-legge-italiana-sullintelligenza-artificiale/ on Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:55:30 +0000.