Albania has taken an unprecedented step by appointing the artificial intelligence entity Diella as what has been described as a minister. Its mandate centers on eliminating corruption in public tender processes. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the AI system will gradually assume full authority over procurement decisions to ensure transparency and accountability.
Albania Deploys First Artificial Intelligence “Minister” Called Diella to Oversee Public Tenders and Combat Corruption
AI-Based Digital Minister
Diella, which means Sun in Albanian, first appeared in January 2025 as a virtual assistant within the e-Albania digital services or e-government portal. It initially guided citizens through online procedures and helped users obtain documents or secure services electronically while interacting with a user interface through voice command functions.
The National Agency for Information Society, known as AKSHI, has been identified as the primary institution behind Diella. It specifically emerged from the AI incubator program operated by the government agency. This program coordinates all of the digital services of the government and manages the technological infrastructure for e-government platforms.
Note that AKSHI has issued tenders to integrate AI technologies into state functions. One initiative, valued at approximately 2.6 million euros, was dedicated to using natural language processing and automation to assist in transposing the European Union legislative Acquis into Albanian law. The government has also pursued initiatives to digitize public tenders.
The functions of Diella will expand into procurement decision making. Its technical details remain unclear. Authorities have not disclosed the training data used and the underlying architecture, algorithm, and model. It can be assumed that it was trained on existing government data and is based on rule-based logic and natural language processing.
For now, in performing its role as the overseer of public tender processes, the AI system is visually represented as a female figure dressed in traditional Albanian costume. This branding serves as a symbolic avatar for citizens using the digital portal. The government has not yet confirmed whether this representation will remain permanent as the system expands its role.
Corruption in Procurement
Prime Minister Rama explained that Diella will be entrusted with all decisions concerning public tenders. This sector has long been plagued by corruption scandals due to loopholes. The prime minister emphasized that every tender will be handled in a fully transparent manner, declaring that funds managed through this system will become perfectly accountable.
Albania ranked 18th out of 180 indexed countries in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International. Public procurement has frequently been identified as a vulnerable sector. Authorities believe that transferring tender oversight to an AI minister could serve as a critical reform ahead of accession to the European Union.
The European Union has set 2030 as the target date for membership of Albania. This comes with the required governance and anti-corruption standards. Nevertheless, by automating procurement procedures, the Albanian government reassures European institutions that systemic weaknesses are being addressed while ensuring that reforms are sustainable.
Nevertheless, if successful, Albania could become a global example in integrating artificial intelligence into government decision-making and processes. Specific concerns are inevitable. Questions remain concerning human oversight, auditing, dispute resolution, and safeguards against manipulation or bias in awarding significant public contracts.
Experts highlight both opportunities and risks. Automation can increase process efficiency and accountability, but the lack of transparency regarding its inner mechanisms raises concerns about fairness and institutional checks within the Albanian political system. The outcome will depend on technical robustness, institutional safeguards, and public trust.