MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Albania appoints AI minister to handle tenders

Diella will make the Albanian government corruption-free, Rama argued

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has appointed a new “minister” created with artificial intelligence to manage public tenders. Named Diella, or “sun” in Albanian, the AI-powered official is a virtual entity whose role is to eliminate human involvement in the bidding process to avoid further corruption scandals.

Diella's primary function is to manage and award all public contracts, making the process “100% free of corruption” and “perfectly transparent,” the Prime Minister explained.

Initially a virtual assistant on the country's e-Albania platform, Diella helped citizens with government services and documents. “Diella is the first member of the cabinet who is not physically present. She is virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama said. Hence, Albania will be “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.” Diella will also have the power to “hire talent from around the world.”

“Bids have been definitively removed from the hands of ministers. Diella will be the official of the Public Ministry. Bids are 100% incorruptible, all funds are 100% legible. This is one of her functions,” Rama also pointed out.

The move has drawn both support and criticism. Prime Minister Rama's government, which won a landslide election, sees the appointment as a crucial step toward its goal of joining the European Union.

However, the opposition has called the appointment unconstitutional and a “buffoonery,” arguing that a virtual entity cannot legally hold a ministerial position. Legal experts also say that the official status of the AI minister needs to be clarified.