Italy issues AI-in-schools guidelines (DM 166/2025) and €100M PNRR training fund

Italy’s Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM) adopted “Guidelines for the Introduction of Artificial Intelligence in Schools” by Ministerial Decree n. 166 on 9 August 2025. On 27 March 2026 a second decree (DM n. 219, 11 November 2025) was published launching a public call under PNRR Mission 4 that allocates €100 million to establish territorial AI training hubs in schools — “snodi formativi” — across all Italian regions. Each eligible school may apply for up to €50,000; 40 percent of the total envelope is reserved for schools in Southern Italy (Mezzogiorno). The hubs deliver training courses, workshops, and AI-equipped laboratories for school personnel and students alike. The guidelines are grounded in EU Regulation 2024/1689 (EU AI Act) and Law 132 of 23 September 2025, which delegates the government to implement AI measures in education, and cover conscious, safe, and inclusive use of AI in teaching and school administration, with an explicit ethics component. The programme is funded through Next Generation EU and represents the first structured national investment in AI-specific teacher and student training at scale.