Albania introduced Diella, a virtual minister powered by artificial intelligence, to oversee public procurement. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment in Tirana and set clear goals for tender integrity.
Diella takes charge of public procurement
Rama said Diella will handle all public tenders. He described her as the “servant of public procurement” and said decisions on tenders will move out of ministries.
He promised a step-by-step rollout. The aim is a system where tenders are “100 percent incorruptible” and every public fund is “100 percent legible.”
According to Politico, Diella is the first non-human member of the government and will work as a virtual official made of pixels and code. Rama presented her at the Socialist Party assembly, alongside cabinet changes for the new mandate.
From idea to cabinet
During the summer, Rama said the country could one day have a digital minister and even an AI prime minister. Few expected the move this soon, Politico reported.
Diella will evaluate tenders and can “hire talents here from all over the world.” Rama said she will also help break “the fear of prejudice and rigidity of the administration.” He called her mission real and said, “This is not science fiction, but the duty of Diella.”
Ties to e-Albania and anti-corruption goals
Diella already powers e-Albania, the national platform for digital public services. Citizens use e-Albania to access almost all government services. Diella has an avatar that appears as a young woman in traditional Albanian clothing.
Albania has long struggled with corruption in public administration and procurement. The European Union has highlighted this issue in annual rule of law reports, Politico noted.
Rama won a fourth mandate in May 2025 with a promise to join the EU by 2030. He linked the new AI role to cleaner tenders and better oversight. He said the process will build trust and make spending easier to track.
The government framed Diella as a permanent part of procurement. Rama said tender decisions will no longer sit inside ministries. Diella’s role is to enforce the rules the same way, every time, across the system.
