The New Normal? Albania Puts AI in Charge of Procurement
Albania has become the first country in the world to appoint an AI-powered cabinet minister, entrusting public procurement to a digital assistant in a bid to reduce corruption in government spending.
Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the decision at the ruling Socialist Party conference in Tirana, introducing Diella, an AI-created avatar that will oversee tenders and procurement processes.
"Diella, the first cabinet member who is not physically present, but has been virtually created by AI", will help transform Albania into "a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption," Rama told delegates.
A digital minister
Diella, which translates as Sun in Albanian, has been assisting citizens on the state's e-Albania platform since January, guiding users via voice commands through a broad range of bureaucratic tasks, helping them access about 95% of state services digitally.
Appearing as a young woman in traditional Albanian costume, she issues electronic documents and reduces administrative delays.
According to Rama, Diella will now move beyond citizen services into the heart of government.
"Diella is the servant of public procurement," he said, pledging to remove decision-making on contracts from ministries and place it in the hands of AI. The system will be rolled out "step-by-step" until "all public spending in the tender process is 100% clear".
Tackling procurement corruption
Public procurement has long been at the centre of corruption scandals in Albania. Experts note that the country has been used by international criminal gangs to launder money from drug and weapons trafficking, and allegations of wrongdoing have reached senior levels of government.
Rama, who secured a fourth consecutive mandate in May, said AI offers a way to eliminate entrenched practices of bribery, intimidation and favouritism.
"This is not science fiction, but the duty of Diella," he said. The AI system, he added, would "objectively assess the merits of each" tender and create a transparent procurement process.
Corruption has, in fact, been a major obstacle to Albania’s accession to the European Union. Rama has set an ambitious goal of joining the bloc by 2030, but Brussels has repeatedly highlighted procurement and public administration as areas in need of reform.
Albanian media described the AI appointment as "a major transformation in the way the Albanian government conceives and exercises administrative power, introducing technology not only as a tool, but also as an active participant in governance".
The hope, Rama said, is that AI can finally build trust in state institutions by creating an incorruptible process.
"Albania will be a country where public tenders are 100% incorruptible and where every public fund that goes through the tender procedure is 100% legible," he told party members.
Questions linger
Despite Rama's bold claims, questions remain about how Diella will operate in practice.
The government is yet to explain what level of human oversight will be maintained, nor has it addressed the risks of manipulation of the AI system itself.
Some Albanian citizens have expressed scepticism, with one Facebook user writing: "Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania." Another added: "Stealing will continue and Diella will be blamed."
Still, Rama insists the project marks a turning point. He suggested Diella could bring global expertise into the Albanian system, stating she would have the power to "hire talents here from all over the world" while challenging "the fear of prejudice and rigidity of the administration".
Whether the appointment proves transformative or merely symbolic will depend on how successfully the digital minister can enforce fairness where human ministers have failed.
