Italy’s Legislative Decree 179/2026 enters into force on 23 October 2026. It aligns national rules with the EU AI Act. AgID is named the national notification authority. Acn, Banca d’Italia, and the Data Protection Authority share market surveillance duties. A regulatory sandbox for AI testing is established. Fines for AI Act violations scale up to €35M or 7% of global turnover. Mandatory AI training is introduced for students, teachers, and professionals. AI-assisted workplace decisions must be disclosed to employees. AI systems are included in workplace risk assessments. Trade secret protection now covers AI training data and algorithms.
What changed
Italy had no national framework aligning with the EU AI Act.
What it unlocks
Testing AI systems in a controlled regulatory sandbox before market launch.
- €35M or 7% of global annual turnover
- €15M or 3% of global annual turnover
- €7.5M or 1% of global annual turnover
- €1M or 0.5% of global annual turnover
What you need to act on it
- entry into force of Legislative Decree 179/2026
- subsequent implementing decrees
- collaboration between AgID and Acn
- additional resources for full implementation
Sources