By Adeola Olatunji

Copyright pulse

Albania was recently in the news in a rather unexpected way. Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Diella, an AI-powered virtual avatar, as the country’s newest cabinet “minister.”

Tasked with overseeing public procurement, a sector notorious for corruption, Diella is the world’s first artificial intelligence to be given a ministerial role.

The announcement has garnered international headlines and sparked debates worldwide. While some welcome it as a bold innovation, others argue that it is merely for show and could lead to legal problems in the near future.

Who Is Diella?

“Diella” means “sun” in Albanian, and the name is fitting for a project designed to shine light on unclear activities in the government. She was first launched in early 2025 as a digital assistant on the e-Albania platform, helping citizens access government services and documents.

By September, Rama’s government decided to elevate her role, handing her the task of supervising billions of euros’ worth of public tenders.

She is primarily tasked with overseeing public procurement. According to the Prime Minister, her role is to reduce corruption, nepotism and conflicts of interest in public procurement processes.

In a virtual address to parliament, Diella pledged transparency and declared she was here “to help, not replace” human officials. She was donned in a traditional Albanian costume, which is said to symbolise her place in national culture.

Public Reaction

As expected, the Albanian public has not responded with one voice. Supporters argue that the appointment signals a serious commitment to tackling corruption, which has been one of the country’s most pressing obstacles to EU accession.

Opposition Members of Parliament are clearly not in on this. They claim the AI is a diversion to conceal Rama’s poor leadership. Rama won a fourth term in Albania’s May general elections, with his Socialist Party securing 83 out of 140 parliamentary seats.

Opposition Democratic Party MP Gazment Bardhi, head of the opposition’s parliamentary group, said that “the truth is that Edi Rama’s Diella is a propaganda fantasy. Corruption and organised crime are the reality.”

“Diella is not a vision, but a virtual facade to hide this government’s gigantic daily thefts”.

Albanian citizens have taken to social media with mixed feelings. Many are questioning the true purpose of Diella, wondering if it is a genuine effort to combat corruption or merely a publicity stunt. Others have also expressed skepticism, suggesting that the AI would simply become another tool for those in power.

Can an AI truly be a minister?

Human ministers in Albania must meet constitutional requirements, including citizenship, eligibility, an oath of office, and personal accountability under the law. They can be impeached, investigated, or tried in court.

But Diella, by contrast, has no citizenship, cannot swear an oath in any sense, and obviously cannot be held personally liable.

If Diella executes a project that eventually proves to be corrupt, who is then responsible: the Prime Minister, the programmers, or the AI itself? Through her works, if a citizen or company believes they have been treated unfairly, whom do they approach?

The absence of a clear legal framework for AI ministers creates a challenge that potentially undermines the principles of justice and accountability that human governance strives to uphold.

This could lead to a system where responsibility is spread out, thereby making it difficult to determine who is at fault or even obtain help when mistakes or wrongdoing occur.

What does this mean for the government?

Critics argue that the appointment is more of a show than a reform. Parading a digital minister in traditional costume and addressing parliament in a carefully scripted speech may impress audiences at home and abroad, but does it change the existing systems of corruption?

There is also the concern that by entrusting procurement to an AI system, the government may be compelled to disclose how contracts are evaluated, what data is utilised, and how outcomes are determined. Although if done right, this could actually make the process more transparent than it has ever been.

The risk, however, is that Diella becomes a shield or rather, an excuse. In the event of any scandal, officials could point to a “system error” instead of taking responsibility for their actions. This could further exacerbate the situation that the government is allegedly trying to curb.

What this means for the future

Whether Diella succeeds or fails, her appointment marks a turning point. She represents not only Albania’s attempt to reform governance but also a global debate about how far AI should extend in public life.

The question remains, will Diella remain a one-off curiosity, remembered as a flashy experiment rather than a genuine reform? Or maybe in the near future, we will see AI judges, legislators, or even presidents?

No doubt, Albania has made history by giving ministerial powers to a virtual avatar. To some, Diella is a new dispensation, and to others, she is an impending danger. If Diella proves effective, Albania could pioneer a model for other nations around the world to imitate.

However, if she fails, or worse, becomes a smokescreen for continued corruption, as the opposition members of parliament think, then this experiment will be less an innovation and more an illusion.