Albania appointed an artificial intelligence bot as a government minister Thursday, tasking the digital assistant with managing all public procurement to eliminate corruption in contract awards.
Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that Diella, meaning “sun” in Albanian, will handle decisions on public tenders as he unveiled his fourth consecutive cabinet following his Socialist Party’s election victory in May.
“Diella is the first cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” Rama said during his speech unveiling the new government. The AI minister will help make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.”
Responsibility for awarding government contracts will be transferred from ministries to the AI system in a “step-by-step” process, Rama said. He claimed Diella will examine every tender objectively and ensure “all public spending in the tender process is 100% clear.”
The AI bot originally launched in January as a virtual assistant on Albania’s e-Albania platform, helping citizens navigate government services online. Depicted as a woman in traditional Albanian costume, the AI has assisted in issuing 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.
However, the government provided no details about human oversight for Diella or how it would address risks of AI manipulation.
The new parliament elected in May is scheduled to convene Friday, though it remains unclear when lawmakers will vote on Rama’s cabinet appointments. Rama is set to present his complete government lineup to parliament in the coming days.
