Italy's AI Push Hits Infrastructure, Governance and Skills Gaps

Artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding across Italian sectors. New regulations such as Law 132/2025 require firms to keep human oversight, disclose AI tools to clients and establish governance committees. Legal practices, film production, healthcare providers and enterprises are all experimenting with AI, from document review to script generation and diagnostic support. A major obstacle is the lack of ready infrastructure. The Nutanix 2026 Healthcare Index finds that 88 % of Italian health‑IT leaders consider their systems unprepared for on‑premise AI workloads, while 79 % report uncontrolled "shadow AI" use that threatens security and compliance. A Confluent data‑streaming survey shows 49 % of Italian IT chiefs now rate data‑streaming platforms as more strategic than AI models, highlighting pressure on existing data pipelines. Digital‑infrastructure investment is also lagging. Anitec‑Assinform’s paper presented to the Ministry of Enterprises outlines a need for €22‑25 billion in data‑center capacity, yet slow authorisations, fragmented regulation and high energy costs impede progress. The same report stresses sustainability and zero‑trust security as essential foundations for AI. Workforce readiness is a parallel concern. PwC’s AI Jobs Barometer 2026 records a 69 % surge in AI‑related job postings and a 42 % salary premium for AI‑skilled roles. Fondirigenti approved about 1 400 management‑training plans to embed AI governance, data literacy and change‑management skills. Cooperative networks report a jump from 23.8 % to 54 % AI adoption, while privacy experts warn that AI tools now see not only prompt inputs but also screenshots, CRM screens and internal documents, expanding data‑privacy risk. Cost pressures, especially for generative‑AI inference, further temper adoption in enterprises. Consumer‑facing AI is already modest but growing: a Shopfully survey finds 18 % of Italians using AI tools for price comparison and deal hunting.