Logical and procedural rules for parliamentary amendments, in light of the Italian experience, from Bentham to AI

The procedural treatment of parliamentary amendments is of crucial importance in parliamentary rules and practices. The admissibility of amendments and the way they are ordered and voted upon have a direct impact on the outcomes of legislative processes. Consequently, political theorists and legal scholars have been engaging in discussions regarding how best to maximise the rationality of procedural rules since the establishment of parliamentary assemblies. While the insights of thinkers such as Jeremy Bentham remain valid and applicable today, parliaments worldwide have continuously refined their methods for handling amendments, including how to respond to filibustering tactics. In the latter half of the twentieth century, advancements in legal informatics led many parliaments to incorporate a degree of automation into these processes. The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence offers numerous potential applications, ranging from the redrafting of legislative texts, including amendments, to improve legislative quality, classify amendments, and cluster identical or similar proposals. After providing a historical overview, this article explores how Artificial Intelligence can be harnessed to enhance the rationality and efficiency of the legislative process, and the significant challenges its adoption poses for contemporary parliamentary democracies.