The era of the virtual minister in the Albanian cabinet

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who secured victory for the fourth consecutive time in the elections held in Albania in May, has introduced the cabinet members expected to serve in his fourth term.

While there are new names in the cabinet and ministers appointed to new positions from their current roles, the most striking announcement was the inclusion of a digital service developed with artificial intelligence in the cabinet. Rama announced that "Diella," a digital assistant that has been providing support to users via Albania's e-government platform E-Albania since January, has been appointed as a minister for the purpose of auditing public tenders and preventing corruption.

Rama stated, "Diella is the first cabinet member who does not physically exist and is created virtually by artificial intelligence." Rama said that Diella, whose name means "Sun" in Albanian, will help Albania become a country where 100 percent of public tenders are free from corruption.

Known for his colorful personality, the Albanian leader stated that Diella will be tasked with all decisions regarding public tenders, thereby ensuring that the tender process is conducted in a completely transparent manner.

Depicted as a woman wearing traditional Albanian clothing, Diella has helped issue 36,600 documents and provided approximately 1,000 services on the e-Albania digital platform to date, according to official data.

The Albanian government did not provide details on whether Diella's operations would be subject to human oversight. No assessment was provided regarding the risks of the digital artificial intelligence assistant being manipulated.

News Source: İHA