Diella will be a โmember of the Cabinet who is not present physically but has been created virtually,โ Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a post on Facebook.
In a world-first political move, Albaniaโs Prime Minister Edi Rama has appointed an Artificial Intelligence-generated “minister” named Diella to his new Cabinet, aiming to crack down on corruption and fast-track the countryโs digital transformation.
Unveiled on Friday, Diella โ meaning ‘sun’ in Albanian โ will not hold a physical presence but will operate virtually as a full-fledged member of the Cabinet. “She is a minister not of flesh and blood, but of code and capability,” Rama announced in a Facebook post.
The AI entity, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, has already been serving as a virtual assistant on Albaniaโs e-Governance platform, e-Albania, assisting over 1 million users in navigating digital services. Now, her role is expanding dramatically.
According to Albaniaโs National Agency for Information Society, Diella leverages advanced AI models to guarantee accuracy, transparency, and speed in government processes. One of her core tasks: ensuring that public tenders are 100% free of corruption โ a bold promise in a country long plagued by graft and organised crime.
Diella is visually represented as a woman in traditional Albanian dress, blending the countryโs heritage with its digital future. She will also support local institutions in aligning with European Union standards, as Albania pushes for EU membership by 2030.
However, not everyone is on board. Opposition leader Gazmend Bardhi of the Democratic Party slammed the move, calling Diellaโs appointment unconstitutional. โThe prime ministerโs buffoonery cannot be turned into legal acts of the Albanian state,โ he said.
Legal experts and analysts say Diellaโs formal ministerial status remains in a grey area. While President Bajram Begaj has endorsed the new Cabinet formation, he stopped short of confirming whether Diella legally qualifies as a minister.
Rama’s Socialist Party won 83 out of 140 seats in the May 11 election, securing a fourth consecutive term. With the power to govern alone but not to amend the Constitution, Ramaโs digital experiment may face legal hurdles.
Whether Diella will get a formal vote in Parliament is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain: Albania has entered uncharted political territory โ with an AI at the Cabinet table.