An AI-generated minister has been introduced to the Albanian parliament, showcased as a representation of the government’s commitment to transparency and innovation. However the move has been met with criticism and hostility from the opposition.
Edi Rama [1] the Prime Minister of Albania and leader of [2] the Socialist Party of Albania has introduced [3] a new bot as a representation of his administration's commitment to transparency and innovation. The bot, named Diella meaning sun in Albanian and illustrated as a woman in traditional Albanian attire is intended to assist in addressing corruption in public expenditures. “The Constitution speaks of institutions at the people’s service. It doesn’t speak of chromosomes, of flesh or blood, It speaks of duties, accountability, transparency, non-discriminatory service. I assure you that I embody such values as strictly as every human colleague, maybe even more,” said Diella. The AI minister was [4] initially created as a text-based virtual assistant designed to assist citizens via the government's [5] e-Albania portal, an electronic services platform.
The artificial intelligence component [6] was developed by Albania's National Agency for Information Society utilizing a Microsoft language model. However Erjon Curraj who [7] is Senior Digital Transformation Expert at SCiDEV warns an AI minister comes with dangers and risks, “The deeper question raised by Diella is not technological but political. Can Albania’s leaders resist the temptation to outsource responsibility to code? Will parliament demand clarity on who signs procurement decisions? Will oversight bodies insist on transparency? And will the administration invest in the skills and safeguards needed to turn performance into practice?,” said Curraj. “Albania has made progress in digitalisation. Diella could be the next step, but only if she is framed honestly as a tool under human control, not as a minister above scrutiny. Technology can support governance, but political responsibility remains with elected leaders and accountable institutions.”
Edi Rama who [8] is a member of the World Economic Forum, stated that the AI-driven bot will enable the government to operate more efficiently and transparently. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to showcase Albania’s technological advancements as the country aims for European Union membership, with aspirations to join the political union by 2030. Albania's constitution requires that government ministers be mentally competent citizens who are at least 18 years old. Edi Rama [9] told BBC News, “We're working with a brilliant team, which is not only Albanian but also international, to come out with the first full AI model in public procurement. Not only will we wipe out every potential influence on public biddings, we will also make the process much faster, much more efficient and totally accountable.”
Edi Rama, while introducing Justice Minister Besfort Lamallari, [10] also mentioned that the AI minister Diella will soon have an offspring. Rama noted that the Minister of Artificial Intelligence will produce children in the Artificial Intelligence maternity. “We need to think about artificial intelligence mediation of civil matters. It is entirely possible for people not to waste money, not to waste time, not to waste energy and not to lose their minds in endless processes when they could very well move on to mediation processes for children that Diella will have soon and many other things that we need to see and do,” said Rama. However, Opposition lawmakers expressed their discontent by banging their hands on the tables, [11] urging the speaker to conclude the debate on the government programme. The session lasted only 25 minutes. They also opted to boycott the vote on the Cabinet's programme, which nonetheless passed with 82 votes in favor in the parliament.