In a globally historic move, Albania has appointed Diella, an artificial intelligence system, as Minister for Public Procurement. Diella will be responsible for overseeing tenders and contracts with the stated goal of eliminating corruption and improving transparency in government deals. Corruption has long plagued Albania’s public contracting process, and by automating decisions Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government hopes to ensure fairness, reduce favoritism, and send a strong signal both to citizens and to the European Union that meaningful reform is underway.
Supporters of the initiative believe the experiment could usher in a new era of transparent governance. By applying consistent, rule-based decision-making, Diella has the potential to reduce opportunities for backroom deals while increasing efficiency and consistency in procurement. The move is also highly symbolic, demonstrating Albania’s willingness to embrace modernization at a time when it is pushing for EU accession.
Not everyone is convinced, however. Critics point to significant legal and constitutional uncertainty, noting that existing laws may not support the idea of an AI holding ministerial authority, which could lead to challenges in court. Questions of accountability loom large: if Diella makes errors, who is responsible: the programmers who built the system, the government officials who oversee it, or no one at all? Others worry that poor data quality or covert programming could perpetuate the very corruption the system is meant to eliminate, while a lack of transparency about how decisions are made could undermine public trust.
Ultimately, the success of this bold step will depend less on the technology itself and more on governance. For Diella to succeed, Albania will need legal clarity, meaningful human oversight, strong technical safeguards, and a concerted effort to build and maintain public trust. Whether this marks the beginning of a breakthrough in AI-driven governance or a cautionary tale about pushing technology too far, too fast will become clear only with time. Either way, the appointment of the world’s first AI “minister” is a development the global legal and business communities should be watching closely.
Author: Spencer Rubin, Associate at Grellas Shah LLP
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