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In a bold and unprecedented move, Albania has appointed an artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant as its first-ever virtual cabinet minister to oversee public procurement, in what Prime Minister Edi Rama calls a decisive step toward eliminating corruption.
The AI minister, named Diella — meaning sun in Albanian — has been integrated into Albania’s e-government platform since January, assisting citizens with more than 95% of public services through voice commands. Now, Diella’s role has been elevated to the highest levels of government, tasked with managing one of the country’s most corruption-prone sectors: public tenders.
A “Minister” Without a Body
“Diella, the first cabinet member who is not physically present but virtually created by AI, will make Albania a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption,” Rama declared during the ruling Socialist Party conference in Tirana while unveiling his fourth consecutive government.
Dressed in traditional Albanian attire on the e-Albania portal, Diella is more than just a friendly digital assistant. She has been assigned responsibility for ensuring transparency in how billions in government contracts are awarded. The prime minister promised that the process of awarding tenders will gradually shift from human hands to AI, eliminating bribes, favoritism, and conflicts of interest.
Tackling a History of Corruption
Public procurement has long been Albania’s Achilles’ heel. The Balkan nation has faced repeated corruption scandals linked to tendering, often involving money laundering by international crime syndicates. Observers have warned that such entrenched graft has stalled Albania’s ambitions to join the European Union, a goal Rama hopes to achieve by 2030.
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By delegating tender assessments to Diella, the government hopes to achieve “100% clarity” in public spending decisions. Rama described the AI minister as “the servant of public procurement” — a servant that cannot be bribed, threatened, or compromised.
Praise and Skepticism
Local media hailed the appointment as a “major transformation” in the exercise of administrative power, marking a historic moment where technology shifts from being a tool to an active participant in governance.
Yet skepticism runs deep. Social media users quickly voiced doubts about whether Albania’s political culture can be transformed by code and algorithms. One Facebook user quipped: “Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania.” Another added: “Stealing will continue, but now Diella will be blamed.”
What About Oversight?
While the move has generated global attention, the Albanian government has not clarified how Diella will operate under human supervision, or what safeguards are in place to prevent manipulation of the AI system itself. This raises concerns about accountability in the event of errors or deliberate tampering.
Still, by positioning AI as a guardian of public trust, Albania has opened a new chapter in governance. If successful, Diella could serve as a model for other nations grappling with corruption and inefficiency in public administration. If not, she risks becoming a high-tech scapegoat in an age-old battle against graft.
As Albania takes this leap into the future, one thing is clear: governance is no longer confined to the realm of flesh-and-blood ministers. The digital age has officially entered the cabinet room.
