Born in La Spezia, Benifei started his political career with the Democrats of the Left in 2002.

In 2007, he joined the Democratic Party, with which he has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2014.

[1] During his first term from 2014 until 2019, Benifei served on the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.

In 2020, he also joined the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age.

[2] In this capacity, he serves as the Parliament's lead rapporteur on the Artificial Intelligence Act (2021).