Albania appoints AI bot “Diella” as government minister to fight corruption

Albania has appointed an AI bot named Diella as a government minister to handle all public procurement contracts, marking what Prime Minister Edi Rama calls the country’s first “virtually created” cabinet member. The move aims to eliminate corruption in government contracting, a persistent problem that has complicated Albania’s bid for European Union membership by 2030.

What you should know: Diella, which means “sun” in Albanian, will manage and award all public tenders where the government contracts private companies for various projects.
• Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment during his fourth term cabinet unveiling on Thursday, describing Diella as “impervious to bribes, threats, or attempts to curry favour.”
• The AI minister is designed to make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption,” according to Rama.

Why this matters: Public contract corruption has long plagued Albania, which experts identify as a hub for international money laundering from drug and weapons trafficking.
• Graft has reached the corridors of power in the Balkan nation, creating an image problem that has complicated Albania’s EU accession process.
• Rama’s ambitious goal of achieving EU membership by 2030 faces skepticism from political analysts who view the timeline as unrealistic.

How it works: Diella originally launched earlier this year as an AI-powered virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform before being elevated to ministerial status.
• Dressed in traditional Albanian attire, she helps citizens and businesses obtain state documents through voice commands and issues documents with electronic stamps.
• The system has already reduced bureaucratic delays in government services.

Key concerns: The government provided no details about human oversight mechanisms or safeguards against potential AI manipulation.
• Public skepticism remains high, with one Facebook user commenting: “Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania.”
• Another critic suggested: “Stealing will continue and Diella will be blamed.”

What’s next: The new parliament elected in May is scheduled to convene on Friday, though it remains unclear whether the government will be voted on the same day.