ITALY Law and Practice Contributed by: Maurizio Marullo, Giorgio Vagnoni, Francesco Amoresano and Fausto Consolo, LAWP Studio legale e tributario
Despite its potential, AI also poses serious risks, especially in relation to the use of people’s bio - metric data for illegal purposes and indirectly increases the risk of personal data breaches (eg, data of fans). For these reasons, sports organi - sations will be required to make investments in cybersecurity and monitoring systems to pre - vent potential risks. For this reason, the European Union introduced Regulation 2024/1689, designed to manage and prevent potential threats arising from the use of AI. This regulation defines four distinct risk levels, with all applications deemed to pose an unacceptable risk – such as those intended for fraudulent purposes – being strictly prohibited. For the remaining three risk levels, the regula - tion imposes progressively stricter obligations to ensure responsible AI use. 10.3 The Metaverse The metaverse offers many opportunities for rev - enue generation and enhancing the fan experi - ence. For example, clubs can duplicate ticketing rev - enues through the creation of their own stadium in the metaverse, and fans can enjoy an immer - sive experience within a sporting event wherever they are.
However, the integration of the metaverse in sports also raises significant concerns, echoing issues related to AI and personal data manage - ment (see 10.2 AI ). The primary risks involve the potential for unauthorised leakage and misuse of sensitive personal data, including images and biometric information of users. Addition - ally, the ability to monitor user habits within the metaverse could lead to undue influence on con - sumer behaviour and personal choices, posing ethical and privacy challenges. The adoption of the metaverse in Italian sports is not widespread yet, and the legal framework is yet to catch up with this technological advance - ment. However, Lega Serie, A in 2022 was the first professional league to show an official foot - ball match in the metaverse in selected jurisdic - tions. More recently, to promote the upcoming 2024 European Athletic Championships, the whole venue of the competition (Rome Olympic Stadium) was made accessible for virtual explo - ration through the metaverse.
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