Albania Names World’s First Artificial Intelligence Government Minister to Combat Corruption
The new AI cabinet member is called "Diella," which means "sun" in the Albanian language.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama made history Thursday by naming the world’s first AI minister to handle government procurement processes. The groundbreaking appointment aims to eliminate corruption from public contracting procedures.
Speaking to his Socialist Party members after their decisive May election win, Rama unveiled the new cabinet member called “Diella,” which means “sun” in the Albanian language.
“Diella represents the first government member who exists virtually through artificial intelligence rather than physical presence,” Rama explained during the cabinet presentation.
The AI minister Albania has appointed will oversee all public tender decisions, ensuring complete transparency in government spending. Rama emphasized that this approach would make procurement processes “100-percent corruption-free” while guaranteeing perfect transparency for every public fund involved in tender procedures.
Diella originally launched in January as a virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence technology. The digital figure appears as a woman wearing traditional Albanian clothing and assists citizens using the e-Albania platform for official documents and government services.
Official statistics show impressive results since the AI minister Albania introduced began operations. The system has already processed 36,600 digital documents and delivered nearly 1,000 services through the government platform.
Rama secured his fourth consecutive term in the recent elections and plans to present his complete cabinet to parliament soon. The Prime Minister leads a nation of 2.8 million people with ambitious plans for European Union membership by 2030.
Fighting corruption, especially within public administration, remains crucial for Albania’s EU membership application. The country must demonstrate significant progress in eliminating corrupt practices to meet European standards.
This innovative use of artificial intelligence in government represents a bold step toward modernizing public administration. By removing human decision-making from procurement processes, Albania hopes to create a transparent system that prevents financial misconduct.
The appointment reflects growing global interest in using technology to improve government operations. While other countries experiment with AI in various capacities, Albania has taken the unprecedented step of giving artificial intelligence actual ministerial responsibilities.
