TIRANE– In a groundbreaking move, Albania has appointed the world’s first Artificial Intelligence–generated government “minister,” a digital assistant named Diella, tasked with ensuring transparency in public spending and curbing corruption.
Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Diella to his cabinet on Thursday, describing her as “the first government member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” according to Euro News.
Since January, Diella has functioned as an online guide, helping citizens navigate government services. Rama announced her new, expanded role will focus on handling all public tender decisions, which he pledged would be made “100 percent corruption-free.”
“Every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent,” Rama said, adding that decision-making authority for tenders will gradually be removed from human ministries. “All public spending in the tender process will be 100 percent clear.”
Diella is visually represented as a woman in traditional Albanian dress, though it is unclear whether she will retain this form as her responsibilities evolve.
Corruption remains a significant challenge for Albania, which has long sought European Union membership. Transparency International ranked the country 80th out of 180 nations on its corruption perception index, underscoring the scale of the problem.
The announcement comes amid a global push to integrate AI into governance. Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired the AI Action Summit in Paris, which brought together world leaders to discuss responsible AI use, equitable access to infrastructure, and safe governance of emerging technologies.
With Diella’s appointment, Albania has become the first country to formally integrate an AI-generated figure into its cabinet, positioning the technology as a tool for accountability and reform. (Source: IANS)
