On 22 July 2026, Fabio Pammolli, President of AI4I, took part in a hearing held by the joint Transport and Productive Activities Committees of the Italian Chamber of Deputies as part of the parliamentary examination of the draft legislative decree implementing the European AI Act in Italy.
During the hearing, Pammolli presented AI4I’s proposals to strengthen the national implementation framework, highlighting the opportunity to combine effective governance with technology transfer and industrial adoption. According to AI4I, the implementation of the AI Act should establish not only a robust system of market surveillance, but also the infrastructure needed to support companies in developing, testing and deploying trustworthy AI solutions.
Building the National AI Infrastructure
AI4I proposed the creation of a single access point coordinating interactions among AGID, the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), sectoral authorities and the Italian Data Protection Authority, while fully preserving their respective responsibilities. The Institute also called for a regulatory sandbox that combines legal qualification with technical validation, enabling companies to generate the evidence required for conformity assessment and market access.
Six Proposals for the AI Act
The Institute outlined six operational recommendations to support the implementation of the AI Act: establishing a coordinated single access point; developing a regulatory sandbox integrating legal and technical validation; providing dedicated testing services and infrastructures; strengthening Italy’s role in European standardisation activities; reducing regulatory uncertainty through practical implementation tools; and connecting the sandbox to a national validation facility for industrial and Physical AI linked to Italy’s network of Competence Centers.
Making Compliance Work for SMEs
A central theme of the hearing was the role of small and medium-sized enterprises. Pammolli stressed that technical standards directly shape market access and should not impose disproportionate burdens on smaller innovators. Simplified documentation, shared testing environments and structured support throughout the adoption process are essential to ensure that compliance becomes an enabler of innovation rather than an obstacle.
From Regulation to Technology Transfer
Responding to questions from Members of Parliament, Pammolli also illustrated AI4I’s technology transfer model, designed to help SMEs identify validated AI solutions developed by Italian providers. The initiative, successfully piloted in Turin and now being extended nationwide in collaboration with Unioncamere, addresses information asymmetries between technology providers and businesses, facilitating AI adoption across Italy’s productive system.
The hearing provided AI4I with the opportunity to contribute its experience as Italy’s national institute for artificial intelligence research and technology transfer, presenting proposals aimed at supporting an implementation of the AI Act that promotes innovation, industrial competitiveness and the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence.
The full hearing is available on the Chamber of Deputies’ WebTV
