- Albania appointed Diella, the world’s first AI-created minister, to tackle corruption in public tenders
- Diella will oversee all public tender decisions, aiming for 100% corruption-free and transparent processes
- Diella was launched as an AI assistant in January and has issued 36,600 digital documents so far
Albania has become the world's first country to appoint an 'AI minister' -- not a person to oversee the growth and ethical use of artificial intelligence in the country, but a virtual member of government, made of pixels and code. The AI minister is named Diella -- meaning 'sun' in Albanian -- and is tasked with tackling corruption, according to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Presenting his new cabinet at a meeting of his Socialist Party following a big May election victory, Rama said Diella will oversee public tenders, promising its artificial intelligence would make his government "corruption-free".
"Diella is the first cabinet member who isn't physically present, but is virtually created by AI," Rama said, introducing her. She will help make Albania "a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption."
Rama, who secured a fourth term in office in the elections, added that Diella will be entrusted with all decisions on public tenders, making every public fund submitted to the tender procedure "perfectly transparent."
Albania's Corruption Problem
The awarding of public tenders has long been a source of corruption scandals in Albania, a Balkan nation of 2.8 million people that experts say is a hub for gangs seeking to launder their money from trafficking drugs and weapons across the world, and where graft has reached the corridors of power.
The fight against corruption, particularly in the public administration, is a key criterion in Albania's bid to join the European Union. Rama aspires to lead Albania into the political bloc by 2030.
The government did not provide details about any human oversight in the functioning of Diella, or address risks that someone could manipulate the artificial intelligence bot.
About Diella
Diella was first launched in January as an AI-powered virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform, helping citizens and businesses obtain state documents. Dressed in traditional Albanian attire, she provides assistance through voice commands and issues documents with electronic stamps, reducing bureaucratic delays.
So far, Diella has helped issue 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.
Earlier this year, Rama said that Albania could soon have a digital minister or even an AI prime minister, but few people had thought that day would come around so quickly.
