Desperate for transparency, the government hopes bias-free Diella will consider contract awards objectively.

Albania has made history by appointing an artificial intelligence system as a government minister in charge of public procurement — the first such experiment worldwide.

Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Diella, which means “Sun” in Albanian, as “the first cabinet member who is not physically present, but has been virtually created by AI.” Rama said the goal was to make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.”

Originally launched in January as a digital assistant on the state’s e-Albania portal, Diella helps citizens navigate government services via voice commands, covering about 95% of public services online. Dressed in traditional Albanian costume on the portal, Diella will now become, in Rama’s words, “the servant of public procurement.”

Rama announced that the responsibility for deciding the winners of public tenders will be gradually removed from ministries and “handled by artificial intelligence to ensure all public spending in the tender process is 100% clear.” He added that Diella will objectively assess every tender’s merits, aiming to eliminate “bribes, threats and conflicts of interest.”

Public tenders have long been a source of corruption scandals in Albania, where experts say graft has reached high levels of government.

Local media hailed the move 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.”

Still, public reaction has been mixed. Genc Pollo, a well-known Albanian politician with a long career in government, told the BalkanWeb that opposition should challenge the decision in the Constitutional Court as it “violates the fundamental law,” which does not provide for non-human appointees in public offices.

So far so good, however. If successful, Diella’s appointment could mark a turning point — not only for Albania’s fight against corruption but for the global debate on AI’s role in governance.