For government officials, being called heartless is an occupational hazard. But Albania has chosen to turn that insult into a positive quality, by appointing an AI minister.
Not a minister for artificial intelligence. Rather, a cabinet member who is, literally, the work of AI.
The new addition is, like a pop star, known simply by the single name: Diella.
Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced her as a member of his new cabinet on Thursday, four months after securing his fourth term in office in May elections.
However, the move was symbolic rather than official, as Albania's constitution insists that government ministers must be mentally competent citizens aged at least 18.
Still, the advantages of appointing a bot over a human are obvious.
Diella, whose name means sun in Albanian, is unlikely to be the source of any unflattering leaks about the government. She will only be power-hungry in the sense of the electricity she consumes. And a damaging expenses scandal would appear to be out of the question.
In fact, corruption was uppermost in Rama's mind when he made Diella part of his team as minister for public procurement.
Her role will be to ensure that Albania will become a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.
Rama boasts that Diella has helped more than a million applications on the e-Albania platform. But his vision for AI's government role is a lot grander than a mere chatbot.
Reactions to Diella's new role are, understandably, mixed. The opposition Democratic Party has labelled the initiative ridiculous and unconstitutional. But others are cautiously optimistic.
Anti-corruption experts have also noted the potential for AI to be deployed to minimise graft, believing that with the right programming, AI could revolutionize transparency in public bidding.
Despite his critics, Rama insists that the initiative has serious intent—encouraging his ministers to adopt a more innovative approach to governance.
