Tirana, Albania, September 13(HS): Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has unveiled Diella, the world’s first artificial intelligence–powered government minister, tasked with eliminating corruption and ensuring transparency in public tenders. Though symbolic rather than legally official due to constitutional constraints requiring ministers to be mentally competent citizens, Diella represents a pioneering step in governance innovation.

Named after the Albanian word for “sun,” Diella has already assisted over a million application processes on Albania’s e-government platform and now takes on the role of virtual minister overseeing all decisions related to public procurement. The AI minister is designed to make public contracts “100% free of corruption,” expediting tender processes while enhancing accountability and eliminating human bias.

This move by the Albanian government aims to address the country’s chronic corruption issues, especially in awarding government contracts, which have historically hindered Albania’s ambitions for European Union membership by 2030. While the opposition has criticized the AI appointment as unconstitutional and theatrical, experts see potential in Diella’s role to boost transparency and restore trust in public procurement systems.

Prime Minister Rama emphasizes that beyond automation, Diella’s presence puts pressure on traditional ministers to innovate, signaling a broader push to modernize Albania’s administrative systems. As Albania seeks to “leapfrog” ahead of more established nations still entrenched in conventional governance methods, Diella may prove a transformative model for the future of public administration worldwide .

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar