Albania appoints world's first AI-generated minister to combat corruption

Dubai: Albania has become the first country in the world to appoint an AI–generated minister, not a Minister for AI, a move Prime Minister Edi Rama said would make public procurement fully transparent and free of corruption, according to the Politico. 

Unveiling his new cabinet on Thursday after securing a fourth consecutive term in May’s elections, Rama introduced “Diella”, a virtual figure powered by artificial intelligence. 

Her name, which means “sun” in Albanian, reflects her public role: overseeing all government tenders.

“Diella is the first government member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama told members of his Socialist Party. 

“Public tenders will become 100 percent incorruptible and every public fund passing through the process will be fully transparent.”

Diella is not entirely new to Albanian citizens. Since January, she has functioned as a digital assistant on the state’s e-Albania platform, guiding users through bureaucratic processes and issuing over 36,000 digital documents. With an avatar dressed in traditional Albanian costume, she has already helped deliver nearly 1,000 services online.

Now her mandate expands. Public tender decisions will gradually be transferred away from ministries and into Diella’s hands, Rama said, in what he described as a historic shift. “She will be the servant of public procurement,” he added.

The initiative is part of Rama’s strategy to combat corruption, long viewed as a stumbling block in Albania’s bid to join the European Union by 2030. Public tenders in particular have been a frequent source of scandal, with watchdogs pointing to systemic graft and links to organized crime.