Albania Appoints World’s First AI Minister to Oversee Public Tenders

September 14, 2025

Tirana: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has appointed what he calls the world’s first artificial intelligence-generated government minister to combat corruption in public tenders.

Unveiling his new cabinet after a decisive election victory in May, Rama introduced “Diella” – meaning “sun” in Albanian – as the country’s new procurement minister. Unlike traditional ministers, Diella exists only virtually.

“Diella is the first government member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama told members of his Socialist Party. He said the AI minister will be responsible for all decisions on public tenders, ensuring they are “100 percent corruption-free” and that every public fund passing through the tendering process remains fully transparent.

Originally launched in January as an AI-powered virtual assistant, Diella appears as a woman in traditional Albanian costume. Until now, she has been helping citizens navigate the government’s e-Albania digital services platform, issuing more than 36,600 documents and supporting nearly 1,000 services, according to official figures.

Rama, who secured a fourth term in office, is expected to present his cabinet to parliament in the coming days.

Curbing corruption has long been a central issue in Albania, where reforms in public administration are a key requirement in its bid to join the European Union. Rama has set a goal of steering the Balkan nation of 2.8 million people into the EU by 2030.