Albania made history in September 2025 by appointing Diella, the world's first artificial intelligence-generated minister, who will oversee public procurement to eliminate corruption. The announcement came during the presentation of Prime Minister Edi Rama's new cabinet, following his historic fourth mandate secured in the May 2025 elections, where he introduced Diella – whose name means sunshine in Albanian – as the only non-human member of the government who will oversee public procurement processes.
Diella was already active on the e-Albania platform, where she helped process more than one million digital inquiries and documents for users, but her role has now significantly expanded as procurement decisions will be removed from ministerial control and placed in a completely transparent system. According to Rama, they are working with a brilliant team, comprising both Albanian and international experts, to develop the first comprehensive AI model for public procurement, which will not only eliminate corruption but also make processes faster and fully transparent – crucial improvements for Albania, which has long battled corruption, particularly in public administration and procurement, an issue repeatedly highlighted by the European Union in its annual rule of law reports.
The opposition Democratic Party has dismissed the initiative as absurd and unconstitutional, as Albania's constitution requires government ministers to be mentally competent citizens aged at least 18, while others remain more optimistic. Dr. Andi Hoxhaj of King's College London, a specialist in corruption and the rule of law, notes that if programmed correctly, when submitting an online bid, it becomes much clearer and more precise whether a company meets the required conditions and criteria. With Albania aiming to complete EU accession talks by 2027, they have a powerful incentive to curb corruption, which has been one of the primary condition set by the EU.
Sources:
Alice Taylor
The Associated Press
