Thought Leadership
Prime Minister Edi Rama is relying on artificial intelligence in the fight against bribery in public tenders. The virtual minister “Diella” is supposed to be incorruptible.
Albania is taking an unusual approach in the fight against widespread corruption: On September 11, Prime Minister Edi Rama presented an AI-generated minister named “Diella” (Albanian for “sun”), who will manage and award all public tenders in the future.
Virtual minister without physical presence
“Diella is the first cabinet member who is not physically present, but was created virtually by AI,” explained Rama at the presentation of his new cabinet at the start of his fourth term in office. The artificial intelligence is intended to help make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100 percent free of corruption”.
The use of an AI solution is a direct response to the Balkan country’s chronic corruption problems. According to the Transparency International 2024 report, Albania ranks 80th out of 180 countries and receives 42 out of 100 points in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
EU accession as motivation
The awarding of public contracts has repeatedly been the subject of corruption scandals in Albania in the past. This has also complicated the country’s EU accession ambitions. Rama is aiming for EU membership by 2030.
The idea behind the AI minister is simple: an algorithm is theoretically impervious to bribery, threats or other forms of influence. However, it remains to be seen whether this approach will prove successful in practice and actually lead to more transparent procurement procedures.
Technical details remain open
In his announcement, Rama left open how exactly the AI solution will work and which security mechanisms will be implemented to prevent manipulation. The question of how companies and citizens can interact with the virtual minister also remains unanswered for the time being.
