An Eastern European country has appointed a new minister, and it is not a real person.
For the last few years there have been discussions about implementing artificial intelligence in Ukraine to help with its judicial system due to its lack of available judges. The country even introduced an AI spokesperson for its foreign ministry in 2024.
However, another European nation has beaten Ukraine to the punch and officially appointed an AI entity to a government position.
‘One day, we might even have a ministry run entirely by AI.’
Public tenders, which refers to bids made by companies to supply goods or services to the government, will now be handled by artificial intelligence in Albania.
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama stated on Friday that the AI “minister” will be trusted to stamp out corruption in the government.
The minister will be a “member of the Cabinet who is not present physically but has been created virtually from artificial intelligence.”
The AI minister, named Diella — which translates to “Sun” according to the Associated Press — will be “100% free of corruption” and will help government efficiency while providing full transparency, the prime minister said.
Diella has already been implemented as a virtual assistant on Albania’s online public services, helping users navigate government websites and deal with digital documents.
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Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Rama has been calling for AI to be in use for his government for many months. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, he suggested in August that AI could fight corruption at the highest levels.
“One day, we might even have a ministry run entirely by AI. That way, there would be no nepotism or conflicts of interest,” he reportedly said.
He also expressed interest in having AI govern the country from the top down, the outlet stated.
Rama has been attending World Economic Forum meetings since at least 2014 and is noted on the organization’s website.
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“Diella” appears as an AI assistant on an Albania government website. Photo by ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images
“The world is moving towards digital infusion, and that will likely, in my view, backfire in the long run,” said Lewis Brackpool, director of investigations for Restore Britain.
“Albania’s AI appointment may in turn show an oxymoronic, two-tiered approach by implementing it. The concern is not whether AI can be used for good sometimes, but the emphasis is on whether it is, in fact, corruption-proof,” Brackpool told Blaze News.
Brackpool asked, “Who programmed the algorithm? What are his or her views? Have these views been included within its database? As Albania’s primary ideological governmental structure is based on socialism, will this coincide with the inherent bias of the machine?”
The Albanian government is run by Rama’s Socialist Party, which won its fourth consecutive term in May. The party controls 83 of the 140 seats. Other parties in the country include the Democratic Party of Albania, which is the opposition party, described as center-right and opposed to communism.
Other parties with seats include the progressive Freedom Party (formerly labeling themselves socialists), and the Social Democratic Party.
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