The AI, named Diella, meaning 'sun' in Albanian, will oversee all public tenders, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced at a party assembly in Tirana on Thursday.
Diella was first introduced earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform, helping citizens access government services and navigate the system. Her avatar appears as a young brunette woman dressed in traditional Albanian attire.
Since her launch, Diella has assisted in issuing over 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform.
'Diella is the first cabinet member who isn't physically present but is virtually created by AI,' Rama said. 'Public procurement must be transformed, and we need to gradually transfer it to AI, making Albania a country where public tenders are 100 percent free from corruption.'
Albania has long struggled with corruption, consistently ranking low on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, coming 80th out of 180 countries last year. Graft scandals have frequently erupted around public contracts, complicating the country's bid for European Union membership, for which it was officially granted candidate status in 2014.
Recent corruption cases, including a major waste management scandal in April that saw seven former officials convicted of abuse of power, have added urgency to the government's anti-graft agenda.
While Rama has framed Diella as a transformative tool for transparency, the move has raised questions about its legality and effectiveness. Albania's constitution requires government ministers to be mentally competent citizens aged at least 18, leaving Diella's official ministerial status ambiguous.
Opposition figures have criticised the appointment, with Gazmend Bardhi, parliamentary group leader of the Democrats, calling it 'unconstitutional' and labelling it 'buffoonery.'
Despite scepticism, some experts see potential in using AI to curb corruption.
'AI is still a new toolâ€"but if it is programmed correctly, when you put a bid in online, you can see clearly and more closely if a company meets the conditions and the criteria,' said Dr Andi Hoxhaj of King's College London, who specialises in the Western Balkans and corruption.
Rama has emphasised that Diella is more than a symbolic gesture. 'We're working with a brilliant team, both Albanian and international, to develop the first full AI model in public procurement,' he told the BBC. 'Not only will we remove every potential influence on public bidding, but we will also make the process faster, more efficient, and totally accountable.'
Though reactions are mixed, the government hopes the move will encourage other agencies to modernise and rethink traditional ways of working.
As Albania pushes to accelerate EU accession negotiations, with a target completion by 2027, the success of Diella could set a precedent for other nations seeking innovative solutions to entrenched corruption.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/albania-names-ai-bot-as-minister-to-combat-corruption
