Albania Becomes First Country to Use an AI Minister to Handle Government Contracts and Fight Corruption

In a historic move, Albania has become the first country in the world to appoint an AI-generated minister — not a minister for AI, but a virtual, non-human government official named Diella, meaning “sunshine” in Albanian.

Unveiled by Prime Minister Edi Rama during the Socialist Party assembly in Tirana, Diella will be responsible for overseeing all public procurement in a bid to eliminate corruption and ensure transparency. Rama emphasized that Diella will manage tenders independently of human ministries, describing her as the “servant of public procurement.”

Already integrated into the government’s e-Albania digital services platform, Diella appears as an avatar dressed in traditional Albanian attire. She will have the authority to evaluate tenders, recruit global talent, and enforce a process that Rama says will be “100% incorruptible.”

As Albania eyes EU accession by 2030, this bold step signals a deepening commitment to digital governance and accountability in a country long plagued by procurement-related corruption.