Albania Appoints AI Bot 'Minister' to Fight Corruption

Source: Al Jazeera
URL: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/12/albania-appoints-ai-bot-minister-to-fight-corruption-in-world-first
Date accessed: 2026-03-26

Key Facts

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Diella (meaning "sun" in Albanian) as a cabinet member on Thursday. The AI-generated minister will focus on tackling corruption in public tender awards.

Role and Goals

Rama described Diella as "a member of the cabinet who is not present physically" whose primary objective is ensuring that "public tenders will be 100 percent free of corruption."

Background

Diella launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on Albania's e-Albania public service platform. The bot has already helped issue 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.

Political Context

Corruption in tender awards has been a longstanding problem in this Balkan nation of 2.8 million people. Albania aspires to join the European Union, and combating corruption remains a key factor in its membership bid. Rama's Socialist Party, recently securing a fourth consecutive term, claims it can deliver EU membership within five years, with negotiations concluding by 2027.

Skepticism

Legal experts questioned whether additional work is needed to establish Diella's official constitutional status. Opposition leader Gazmend Bardhi called the appointment unconstitutional, stating the "Prime Minister's buffoonery cannot be turned into legal acts."

Public Reaction

Facebook commenters expressed doubt: "Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania" and "Stealing will continue and Diella will be blamed."