Albania appoints AI-powered ‘virtual minister’ to fight corruption in public procurement

On the country’s e-Albania portal, Diella, whose name means “sun” in Albanian, appears as a woman in traditional costume. The digital assistant guides citizens through bureaucratic tasks using voice commands and has so far helped issue over 36,000 digital documents and assisted with nearly 1,000 online services.

🇦🇱 Albania to become the first country to appoint a non-physical artificial intelligence (AI) as a government minister.

PM Edi Rama announced his new cabinet, which includes an AI named “Diella” as minister of public procurement.

Diella previously served as the virtual… pic.twitter.com/IzaSvnbsBj

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Rama told his ruling Socialist Party that responsibility for deciding winners of government tenders will gradually be shifted from ministries to Diella. The AI system will review every bid from private companies and assess them objectively, eliminating human influence and with it, the risk of bribes, threats, or favouritism.

Public tenders have long been a hotbed of corruption scandals in Albania. Improving this sector is also crucial for Albania’s bid to join the European Union by 2030. The move has been described by Albanian media as a “major transformation,” with technology no longer just a support tool but an active player in governance.

Rama, who won a fourth straight term in May, called Diella “the servant of public procurement” and called it a bold step to restore trust in how public money is spent.

The news of the new virtual assistant 2.0, which provides voice and visual responses, was first announced in January on Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Facebook page. “Good morning and happy Sunday. Your Zadrimo assistant has just emerged from the AKSHI Artificial Intelligence incubator. For the coming months, it will be ready not only to guide you through the e-Albania platform but also to perform services for you with a single command. I wish you the most peaceful Sunday possible,” he wrote.

(With Inputs from Guardian)