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Albania just became the first country to induct an AI minister, not to be confused with a minister for artificial intelligence. The nation has announced a virtual minister powered by AI. Named Diella, the AI minister is made of code and pixels and will be taking care of procurement.
Earlier this year, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the country would have a digital minister or an AI prime minister one day. However, nobody thought that the nation would get an AI minister so soon.
On Thursday, September 11, Rama introduced the AI minister at the Socialist Party’s assembly event in Tirana. Diell is the only non-human member of the government. “Diella is the first member not physically present but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama was quoted by politico.eu. The AI has been appointed to oversee public procurement and help reduce corruption in government spending.
This is not a spoof; it’s a real political move by the Albanian government. Essentially an AI avatar, Diella will evaluate and award all public tenders where the government contracts private firms.
Diella is reportedly already serving citizens via the country’s digital services portal, processing bureaucratic requests through voice commands. According to Prime Minister Rama, AI will help in curbing bribes and threats. However, the Albanian authorities have not shared details about what kind of human oversight will be deployed.
Reportedly, the AI minister will also have the right to assess tenders and hire talents from across the world. The AI does this along with combating alleged fears of prejudice and rigidity of the administration.
Reportedly, Albania has been facing rampant corruption in public administration, especially in the area of public procurement. Use of Diella shows how AI can be efficiently used within government functions. Even though there are apprehensions, a single issue may lead to a security nightmare.
