Albania Appoints AI Bot ‘Diella’ as Minister to Handle Public Procurement

By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

Tirana – Albania has made history by appointing an AI-generated bot, named Diella, as a minister tasked with managing public procurement, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Thursday. Diella, which means “sun” in Albanian, is designed to oversee and award government contracts, aiming to eliminate corruption in a system long plagued by graft.

“Diella is the first cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” Rama said during a speech unveiling his new cabinet. He described the bot as impervious to bribes, threats, or attempts to curry favour, and as a step toward making Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.”

Albania has faced persistent challenges with public procurement, which experts say has been exploited by criminal networks involved in drug and arms trafficking. Corruption scandals in awarding contracts have complicated Albania’s bid for European Union membership, which Rama aims to achieve by 2030.

Diella was first launched earlier this year as an AI-powered virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform, helping citizens and businesses obtain state documents efficiently. Dressed in traditional Albanian attire, she interacts through voice commands and issues documents with electronic stamps, significantly reducing bureaucratic delays.

Despite the announcement, some remain sceptical. Social media users questioned whether an AI bot could truly eliminate corruption in a country with entrenched graft. “Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania,” one Facebook user wrote. Another commented, “Stealing will continue and Diella will be blamed.”

The government has yet to clarify what human oversight will be in place or how the AI’s processes could be protected from manipulation. Meanwhile, the newly elected parliament, chosen in May, is scheduled to convene on Friday, though it remains uncertain if the cabinet will be confirmed on the same day.

Akahi News gathered that the introduction of Diella represents an unprecedented attempt to integrate artificial intelligence into governance and could serve as a model for other countries struggling with corruption in public procurement.

Akahi News http://www.akahinews.org