Albania just made history. The country appointed an AI as a government minister for the first time ever.
Prime Minister Edi Rama chose Diella, an AI assistant, as the new Minister of Public Procurement. This computer program now controls millions of euros in government contracts.
Meet Diella
Albanians already know Diella. She’s been helping people with government paperwork online for years. Her name means “sun” in Albanian.
But now she’s been promoted from digital helper to cabinet minister. That’s never happened anywhere in the world.
Why did Albania do this? The country has a big corruption problem. It’s been trying to join the European Union for years, but corruption keeps getting in the way.
Rama’s thinking is simple: humans can be bribed, but computers can’t. Diella won’t take money under the table, give contracts to her friends or family, or be threatened or intimidated.
Why this could work
Diella could solve Albania’s corruption problem. Here’s what she promises:
- Fast decisions on government contracts
- Complete transparency in how money is spent
- Fair choices based only on who deserves to win
- No more secret deals or stolen public money
This could be huge for Albania. The country wants to join the European Union, and this might prove that it’s serious about fighting corruption.
Why this could fail
But there are significant problems with this plan:
Who controls Diella? Someone wrote her computer code. Someone feeds her information. What if those people have their own agenda?
The human factor: Diella might be honest, but the people giving her information aren’t necessarily honest. They could still manipulate the system.
Legal issues: The opposition says this is unconstitutional. Ministers are supposed to be real people who can be held responsible for their actions.
Public trust: Opposition politicians boycotted Diella’s first speech to parliament. They called it a publicity stunt.
Security risks: What if hackers break into Diella’s system? What if her programming has hidden biases?
What happens next?
Albania is running a huge experiment. No one knows if it will work. If Diella succeeds, other countries might copy this idea. We could see AI ministers everywhere.
If she fails, it might prove that humans need to stay in charge of government, despite their flaws.
Either way, this is just the beginning. Diella is already at work, and the world is watching to see what happens.
