Albania has introduced a cabinet member unlike any other. Diella, an AI-generated bot, will be in charge of awarding public contracts and managing tenders.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is beginning his fourth term, unveiled Diella on Thursday, stating that she will make sure public tenders are free from bribes, political pressure, or attempts to curry favor.
“Diella is the first cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” Rama told the audience. He added that Diella will help turn Albania into “a country where public tenders are 100 percent free of corruption.”
The awarding of contracts has long been a hotspot for corruption scandals in Albania. Experts say the Balkan nation has become a hub for gangs laundering money from drugs and weapons trafficking. That reputation has slowed down Albania’s ambition to join the European Union by 2030, a goal many analysts call overly ambitious.
The government did not explain what kind of human oversight Diella will face or how it plans to prevent manipulation of the AI system.
Diella first appeared earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform. Wearing traditional Albanian attire, she helps citizens and businesses obtain state documents, issues electronic stamps, and speeds up bureaucratic work.
The public remains divided. On Facebook, one user wrote: “Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania.” Another joked: “Stealing will continue and Diella will be blamed.”
Parliament is scheduled to meet on Friday following the May elections, though it is unclear if the new government will be voted in the same day.