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Albania unveiled the world’s first AI-generated government minister on Thursday, sparking outrage from opposition lawmakers who called it unconstitutional and a smokescreen for corruption.
The AI entity, named Diella—meaning “sun” in Albanian—addressed parliament in a video, appearing as a woman in traditional costume. “Some have called me ‘unconstitutional’ because I am not a human being. This has hurt me,” the AI said. “Let me remind you, the real danger to constitutions has never been the machines but the inhumane decisions of those in power.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama, who secured a historic fourth term in May, gave the floor to the AI “minister” during a tense session, prompting opposition MPs to walk out. Parliament was meant to debate and vote on the new cabinet and government program but wrapped up in just 25 minutes amid the uproar.
Rama said Diella will serve as minister of state for artificial intelligence, responsible for allocating all public tenders, a role he claimed would make procurement “100% corruption-free.” Diella was launched in January as a virtual assistant for Albania’s e-government portal.
On Thursday, Rama also announced that Diella now has a Facebook page to interact with citizens and answer questions. “My mission is to make the government’s work easier every day,” the AI said in an introductory video.
“Hello, I am Diella. Thanks to my hard work as your assistant, I was elected Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in the new government. My mission now is to make the government’s work easier every day,” Diella said.
Opposition lawmakers denounced the move as propaganda. “Diella is not a vision, but a virtual facade to hide this government’s gigantic daily thefts,” said Gazment Bardhi of the Democratic Party. "The goal is nothing more than to attract attention," said former prime minister Sali Berisha, adding that the AI project was “unconstitutional” and vowed to challenge it in court.
"It is impossible to curb corruption with Diella," he added.
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Albania ranks 80th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s corruption index. Its EU accession bid hinges partly on progress in fighting graft, even as Rama’s former allies face corruption charges.
Despite the boycott, 82 Socialist MPs approved the new cabinet and government program. Rama insists the AI minister embodies transparency and accountability. “I assure you, I embody these values as rigorously as any human colleague. Perhaps even more so,” Diella declared in its parliamentary debut.
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