"Diella", internationally famous/ BBC article about the AI minister

2025-09-13 11:09:00, Aktualitet Guy Delauney

"Diella", internationally famous/ BBC article about the AI

For government officials, being called “heartless” is an occupational hazard. But Albania has chosen to turn this insult into a positive quality, by appointing a minister of Artificial Intelligence.

Not a minister for artificial intelligence. Rather, a cabinet member who is, literally, the work of artificial intelligence.

The minister is known simply by her first name: Diella.

Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced her as a member of his new cabinet on Thursday, four months after securing his fourth term in office in May's elections.

However, this action was symbolic and not official, as Albania's constitution insists that government ministers must be mentally competent citizens, at least 18 years old.

However, the advantages of assigning a robot over a human are obvious.

Diella, whose name means sun in Albanian, is unlikely to be the source of any improper leaks of information about the government. It will only be energy-hungry in the sense of the electricity it consumes.

In fact, corruption was at the forefront of Rama's mind when he made Diella part of his team as minister of public procurement.

Her role will be to ensure that Albania becomes "a country where public tenders are 100% free from corruption".

"We are working with an excellent team, which is not only Albanian, but also international, to come up with the first complete artificial intelligence model in public procurement," the prime minister told the BBC.

"Not only will we eliminate any potential influence on public tenders - we will also make the process much faster, much more efficient and fully accountable."

Diella had been working in Albania even before her government "appointment." Her first persona was as a virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence, guiding applicants through the process of obtaining official documents.

Rama boasts that Diella has “assisted more than a million applications” on the e-Albania platform. But his vision for the government role of AI is much grander than a simple chatbot.

He talks about "overcoming" the largest and most advanced countries, which are still stuck in "traditional ways of working."

Reactions to Diella's new role are understandably mixed. The opposition Democratic Party has called the initiative "ridiculous" and "unconstitutional."

But others are cautiously optimistic.

The founder of financial services company Balkans Capital, Aneida Bajraktari Bicja, notes that Edi Rama "often mixes reform with theatrics, so it's natural for people to wonder if this is symbolism." But she says the 'Minister of Artificial Intelligence' could be constructive if it develops into real systems that improve transparency and trust in public procurement.

Anti-corruption experts have also pointed to the potential for artificial intelligence to be used to minimize corruption.

"AI is still a new tool, but if programmed correctly, when you do an online tender, you can see clearly and more closely whether a company meets the conditions and criteria," says Dr. Andi Hoxhaj of King's College London, a specialist in the Western Balkans, corruption and the rule of law.

He believes that Albania's rapid progress in EU accession talks and encouragement from Brussels to complete negotiations by 2027 mean the country has a strong incentive to fight corruption.

"There are a lot of things at stake," he says. "The main precondition from the EU has been to address corruption. If the Sun is a tool or mechanism that can be used towards that goal, it is worth exploring."

Edi Rama does not deny that there is an element of a publicity stunt in his latest presentation. But he insists that behind this pleasant presentation lies a serious purpose.

"This puts pressure on other cabinet members and national agencies to run and think differently. That's the biggest advantage I expect from this minister," he says.

In other words, ministers should be careful: AI could take over their jobs too./ CNA