An avatar in traditional costume, a synthetic voice elevated to the rank of minister, and the promise to eliminate corruption from public procurement. What just a few months ago was presented by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as one of the boldest symbols of the country’s modernization is now at the center of a complex legal battle that risks turning an unprecedented technological experiment into a nationally significant political case.
On Tuesday, June 2, judges are expected to determine whether “Diella,” the first AI-based minister appointed by a government in the world, is compatible with the Albanian Constitution.
THE CHALLENGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
When last September the flamboyant Prime Minister Rama announced the promotion of Diella, the initiative immediately attracted international attention. Albania, once the Cinderella of Europe but now a candidate country for EU membership, presented itself as a political and technological laboratory capable of experimenting with innovative solutions to tackle one of the most persistent problems in its public life: corruption in public procurement.
The chatbot, whose name means “sun” in Albanian, was initially developed as a digital assistant within the public portal e-Albania. It was later transformed into an institutional figure endowed with a virtual face and its own voice. Rama personally claimed supervision over it, jokingly calling it “my daughter” and emphasizing its loyalty, in contrast to the clientelistic and familial practices often denounced in Balkan politics.
From the beginning, however, jurists and technology experts expressed doubts. While recognizing the usefulness of artificial intelligence in data analysis and monitoring administrative procedures, many observers argued that public decisions should remain under the responsibility of physical persons, accountable for their actions before the citizens.
THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASH
At the forefront of the battle is the Democratic Party, the main conservative opposition force. In the appeal filed by its members, it is stated that an algorithm sitting at the executive table ends up undermining constitutional principles on the government structure and the very separation of powers.
Group leader Gazment Bardhi did not mince words, dismissing Diella as a pure propaganda invention useful only to cover the gaps and inefficiencies of the administrative machinery. According to the opposition, this is not a trial against technological innovation per se, but a contestation of the concrete danger of delegating public tasks to a mechanism that, by its nature, cannot assume responsibility for the choices it makes.
On the political confrontation front, Rama does not risk major setbacks. The standoff occurs at a time when his leadership appears stronger than ever. The Socialist Party, of which he is the undisputed leader, is coming off its fourth consecutive victory in the general elections, a result that guarantees a secure majority in parliament and shields the executive from unpleasant surprises during votes in the chamber.
THE SHADOW OF INVESTIGATIONS
What heats up the atmosphere are rather the heavy judicial investigations involving the National Agency for Information Society (Akshi), the public body managing the country’s digital transition and which physically developed the Diella project. According to the Austrian daily Der Standard, the agency’s top officials, specifically the general director and her deputy, have been placed under house arrest by order of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime.
The hypothesis the investigators are working on describes a ruthless management of public contracts, with tenders allegedly systematically steered towards friendly companies through pressure, threats, and illegal tricks to exclude market competitors. The turnover under scrutiny by prosecutors would amount to several million euros, estimates the Vienna newspaper.
RAMA CLAIMS THE GLASS IS HALF FULL
From the government palace, however, the glass half full of the technological breakthrough continues to be viewed. Rama has defended the Akshi structure, claiming that the digitalization of public administration has effectively eliminated the historic queues at offices and cut bureaucratic costs for families and productive activities.
However, problems for the executive become more complicated on another legal front. Actress Anila Bisha, who lent her likeness and phonetics to the virtual assistant Diella, has initiated a dispute claiming that the administration is exploiting her image far beyond the initial agreements, which only covered the messaging service for the e-Albania platform. The ministry denies the charges, but the final word will still rest with the judges in this case as well.
Judgments aside, the Albanian case has now crossed national borders and is observed by experts as a true pilot clash on the boundary between algorithms and democracy. Several analysts agree that automation can streamline state services, but they reaffirm that transparency of procedures, citizen oversight, and the primacy of politics cannot be sacrificed. Values and protections that, according to those contesting the Tirana experiment, so far have remained only on paper.
