This includes the appointment of an artificial intelligence named “Diera” (meaning “sun” in Albanian) as the Minister of Public Procurement..
This also makes Albania the first country in the world to appoint a non-physical artificial intelligence as a government minister.
In May 2025, Rama was historically elected as Prime Minister of Albania for the fourth time. This summer, Rama envisioned a day when the country could have a digital minister, or even an AI Prime Minister, although at that time, few expected this day to arrive so soon.
In his speech announcing the new cabinet on Thursday, Rama stated: “Diera is the first cabinet member that does not exist in physical form but is virtually generated by artificial intelligence.”
Rama also mentioned that the authority to decide on tenders will gradually be transferred from various departments to “Diera,” who will review every tender contract signed between the government and private companies and objectively assess the merits of each tender contract.
Rama emphasized that “Diera” will help Albania “become a country where public procurement is 100% free of corruption.” For a long time, awarding such contracts has been the source of corruption scandals in this Balkan country.
This image has dealt a blow to Albania’s dream of joining the European Union. Albania is currently a candidate country for the EU, and Rama hopes to become a full member by 2030, but political analysts say this goal is overly ambitious.
Rama also stated that there will be a dedicated department to support “Diera” and promote the application of artificial intelligence across government departments.
However, the Albanian government has not provided details on what kind of human oversight “Diera” might be subject to, nor has it clarified the risks of potential manipulation of this AI robot.
“Diera” has already been known to Albanian citizens; her virtual image is a woman dressed in traditional Albanian attire, launched earlier this year as an AI virtual assistant on an electronic platform that allows citizens to digitally access almost all government services. “Diera” is responsible for helping citizens and businesses obtain government documents, providing assistance through voice commands, and issuing documents with electronic seals.
