In a pioneering move blending governance with advanced technology, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has symbolically appointed an artificial intelligence entity named Diella to his cabinet. Tasked with the portfolio of public procurement, Diella’s primary mandate is to help eliminate corruption and increase efficiency in the public tender process, marking a novel experiment in the use of AI in government administration.
A Symbolic Role With A Serious Mandate
While Albania’s constitution requires ministers to be human citizens, Diella’s appointment is a strategic initiative with a clear objective. Prime Minister Rama stated that the goal is to create a system where public tenders are “100% free of corruption.” An international team is developing the AI model behind Diella to not only remove potential human influence from public bidding but also to make the entire process faster, more efficient, and completely accountable. The move has been met with mixed reactions, with political opposition labeling it “ridiculous,” while some anti-corruption experts see potential if the system is programmed and implemented correctly.
From Chatbot To Cabinet Member
Before her “appointment” to the cabinet, Diella was already an active part of Albania’s digital infrastructure. She initially served as an AI-powered virtual assistant on the government’s e-Albania platform, a one-stop-shop for public services. In this role, she successfully guided citizens through the process of obtaining official documents, assisting with over a million applications. This track record demonstrated the AI’s capability and paved the way for the government’s more ambitious vision of integrating AI at the highest levels of policy oversight.
Implications For The MENA Region
Albania’s experiment with an AI minister holds particular relevance for the MENA region, where governments are increasingly investing in digital transformation and artificial intelligence to modernize public services. Nations like the UAE, which established the world’s first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, and Saudi Arabia, with its tech-centric Vision 2030, are at the forefront of this shift. Diella’s deployment in a sensitive area like public procurement serves as a pioneering case study. If this initiative proves effective in enhancing transparency and reducing graft, it could provide a tangible blueprint for MENA governments looking to leverage AI to tackle similar administrative challenges, streamline bureaucracy, and build greater public trust.
About Diella
Diella is an artificial intelligence entity symbolically appointed as a government minister in Albania. Her name, meaning “sun” in Albanian, reflects her mission to bring transparency to public procurement. Developed from a virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform, her role is to oversee and ensure fairness, efficiency, and accountability in the country’s public tender processes.
Source: BBC
