Albania’s First AI-Generated Minister Defends Role in Parliament

TDT | TIRANA

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Albania made history on Thursday as its newly appointed artificial intelligence (AI) minister addressed parliament for the first time, vowing to assist rather than replace humans in governance.

The virtual minister, named Diella—meaning “sun” in Albanian—was introduced last week by Prime Minister Edi Rama as the world’s first AI government minister. Appearing in a video as a woman dressed in traditional Albanian attire, Diella acknowledged criticism of her role.

“Some have called me ‘unconstitutional’ because I am not a human being,” the AI figure declared. “But let me remind you, the real danger to constitutions has never been the machines, but the inhumane decisions of those in power.”

Rama has entrusted Diella with overseeing all public tenders, insisting the move will ensure a corruption-free process and full transparency in the use of public funds.

Originally launched in January as a virtual assistant to guide citizens through Albania’s e-government platform, Diella has now been elevated to the cabinet level.

The decision, however, has sparked backlash from opposition parties, who argue the experiment undermines democratic institutions. The criticism comes as Albania struggles with ongoing corruption concerns, ranking 80th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s index.

Adding to the tension, Tirana’s mayor—once a close ally of Rama—remains in pretrial detention on charges of corruption and money laundering linked to public contracts.

While the government promotes Diella as a symbol of innovation and transparency, the AI minister has already become a flashpoint in Albania’s political debate.