Albania Makes History: Robot Appointed as World's First Minister

The threat of AI to common jobs is escalating, but this threat is no longer limited to ordinary professional roles; it now extends to ministerial positions. For the first time globally, a country has appointed an AI-powered robot as a minister. This small European nation, Albania, saw its Prime Minister, Edi Rama, include a digital bot in his new cabinet. This robotic minister is named Diella, meaning 'Sun' in Albanian.

Robot Minister Appointed to Combat Corruption

Albania, with a population of approximately 2.8 million, aims to join the European Union by 2030. A prerequisite for EU membership is demonstrating the ability to curb corruption. Eradicating corruption completely is a significant challenge for any nation. Therefore, Albania's Prime Minister introduced the novel idea of appointing a robot minister, making Diella the world's first robotic minister. Diella has been appointed as the Minister of Public Procurement.

Diella Serving Online Since January

Diella was launched on the e-Albania platform in January 2025. Since then, she has been assisting citizens online with government services. Through electronic stamps and voice commands, Diella has helped reduce bureaucratic delays. To date, she has issued approximately 40,000 documents. This led to her promotion to the ministerial cabinet as the Minister of Public Procurement. PM Rama stated that while Diella doesn't have a physical presence, she will help Albania become the first country to be 100% free from corruption in public tenders.

Questions Surrounding Diella

Diella is depicted wearing traditional Albanian clothing and resembles a doll. This fast and smart computer program, unlike human politicians, is neither susceptible to bribery nor prone to fatigue. It is capable of handling a large workload with great speed. Given the prevalence of scandals in public procurement, the tender process will soon be fully entrusted to AI. However, not everyone welcomes the appointment of this AI robot minister. Some question the system's integrity, wondering if a compromised computer system could render the robot ineffective. There are also concerns about accountability: if Diella makes a mistake, who will be held responsible—the bot itself or its creators?