Albania's Diella: When AI enters the government

After securing an unprecedented fourth term in power last May, seems like Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama grew tired of 12 years of conversations with his all-too-human ministers. So, on 11 September, he unveiled his latest experiment - a minister that doesn't eat, doesn't sleep and responds instantly. “Diella (meaning 'sunshine’ in Albanian) is the first cabinet member not physically present but virtually created by Artificial Intelligence,” said Rama. Make no mistake, this is not a minister for AI, but rather a virtual AI minister.

Without giving too many details of which generative AI language model supports Diella, Prime Minister Rama informed that her main function will be to oversee public procurement and tenders. While Diella's life started differently, first as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania public service, now this AI tool is supposed to make real decisions about real money. In a country where public tenders have long been a source of corruption, a problem flagged year after year in the European Union's annual reports, Rama is betting on Diella's special mandate to somehow make them “100% transparent and free of corruption.” This move of introducing technology not only as a tool, but also as an active participant in governance, is part of Albania's effort to push for EU membership and digital transformation.

However, giving AI a seat at the government table inevitably raises questions about the blurred lines of responsibility when traditional human roles are replaced by technology. In Albania's case, none of the constitutional provisions regarding ministerial appointments make any mention of the possibility of naming an AI minister. Nevertheless, Article 2 of the newly released presidential decree on September 12, states that ‘The Prime Minister also exercises the responsibilities for the establishment and functioning of the Virtual Minister of Artificial Intelligence "Diella."’ This unusual arrangement has raised criticism and confusion as to whether Diella is not solely dependent on the Wi-Fi connection, but also on the Prime Minister as well. The question remains whether the oversight of the tenders and procurement will in fact go through PM's hand while leaving open the possibility that any errors or legal violations will be attributed to Diella's algorithms.

While grabbing global headlines could position Albania as a spot for digital innovation, 'minister' Diella above all is a political performance – impressive in optics but modest in substance.