Albania has become the first country ever to appoint an artificial intelligence as a government minister. Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Diella, an AI-powered digital assistant, as the world’s first virtual cabinet member who will oversee all government contracts and spending.
Meet Diella: The Sun-Powered AI Minister
Diella, which means “sun” in Albanian, is not a human but a computer program designed to look like a young woman wearing traditional Albanian clothing. She has been helping Albanian citizens since January 2025 through the government’s online portal, where she processes paperwork and provides services using voice commands.
Now, Prime Minister Rama has promoted Diella to handle one of the government’s most important jobs: managing all public tenders and contracts. “Diella is the first cabinet member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama announced during a Socialist Party meeting.
The AI minister has already proven her worth by helping issue over 36,600 digital documents and providing nearly 1,000 government services through the e-Albania platform.
Why Albania Chose an AI Minister
Public contracts have been a major problem in Albania for many years. Companies often bribe government officials to win contracts, stealing money meant for roads, schools, and hospitals. This corruption has hurt Albania’s chances of joining the European Union, which the country hopes to achieve by 2030.
Rama believes Diella can solve this problem because computers cannot be bribed, threatened, or influenced by personal relationships. “Diella will make public tenders 100 percent corruption-free and every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent,” the Prime Minister promised.
The AI system will take all tender decisions away from human government officials and handle them automatically, removing opportunities for corruption and favoritism.
How the AI Minister Works
Unlike human ministers who can be influenced by money or pressure, Diella makes decisions based purely on facts and rules programmed into her system. She can evaluate which companies offer the best value for government projects without being swayed by personal connections or bribes.
The AI minister will also have the power to “hire talents from all over the world” for government projects, helping Albania access international expertise without the usual bureaucratic barriers.
Diella AI Minister represents a blend of Albania’s cultural heritage and modern technology – her avatar wears traditional Albanian dress while using cutting-edge artificial intelligence to serve the public.
A Bold Step Into the Future
This appointment makes Albania a pioneer in using AI for government work. While other countries have AI assistants for customer service, Albania is the first to give artificial intelligence real decision-making power in government.
However, some people worry about what happens if the AI makes mistakes or gets hacked. The government has not yet explained how they will monitor Diella’s decisions or what safeguards exist to prevent the system from being manipulated.
This historic appointment could inspire other countries struggling with corruption to consider similar AI solutions for transparent government operations.
