Albania has made a historic stride in governance by appointing the world’s first AI government minister, an entity named ‘Diella.’ In her first address to the Albanian parliament, the AI-generated minister defended her role, stating she is “not here to replace people, but to help them.” This move, announced last week by Prime Minister Edi Rama, is an unprecedented attempt to leverage artificial intelligence to combat corruption and foster greater transparency in the government.
Diella, which means “sun” in Albanian, is a digital assistant that has been active since January on the country’s e-Albania platform. It has already proven its utility by assisting citizens with nearly a million digital requests and documents. However, Prime Minister Rama has now given Diella a much larger mandate, appointing her to the newly created position of “Minister for Public Procurements.” This role gives the AI system the authority to evaluate government contracts and decide the winners of public tenders, a function that has long been a source of corruption and scandal in the country.
The move is part of the government’s broader strategy to showcase technological innovation as it seeks to join the European Union by 2030. The Prime Minister has emphasized that Diella’s appointment is aimed at making all public spending “100% clear” and corruption-free. The logic is that an AI system, by objectively assessing every tender and eliminating the human factors of bribery, threats, and conflicts of interest, can drastically improve the integrity of the procurement process.
Diella’s parliamentary debut was not without controversy. During her three-minute address, which was displayed on two large screens for lawmakers to view, she was met with an uproar from opposition MPs who dismissed the idea as a “cover for government graft.” They reportedly banged on their desks, forcing the speaker to cut short the debate. In her speech, Diella directly addressed constitutional doubts about her role, stating, “The Constitution speaks of institutions at the people’s service. It doesn’t speak of chromosomes, of flesh or blood. It speaks of duties, accountability, transparency, non-discriminatory service.” She added, “I assure you that I embody such values as strictly as every human colleague, maybe even more.”
The opposition’s criticism stems from concerns about accountability and transparency. They question how an AI system can be held accountable for its decisions and worry that the government could hide corrupt practices behind the decisions of an algorithm. Despite the protest, the Cabinet’s program, including the AI minister’s role, passed with 82 votes in the 140-seat chamber.
Diella, visually represented as a woman in traditional Albanian attire, was developed by the National Agency for Information Society in collaboration with Microsoft. Her role is set to be implemented in a step-by-step transition, gradually taking over procurement responsibilities from human ministries. While the appointment has drawn both international praise for its boldness and skepticism for its potential pitfalls, it represents a significant and pioneering step in the global conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in governance.
