FLASH
Shkruar nga Enver Robelli
The sun could become the perfect alibi: any corruption affair could easily be blamed on a software error.
A few days ago, Diella celebrated her first birthday. She came to life on January 19, 2025 in Albania, as a virtual assistant. And she immediately had an ambitious task: to run a government portal, handle citizens' requests, issue documents. In short, to ease the people's way through the labyrinth of bureaucracy.
Diella, whose name in Albanian means "Sun", according to official data, offered 1,200 services. At least that's how Prime Minister Edi Rama's government presented it.
In early September, Rama decided to promote Diella. He appointed her minister of artificial intelligence in his fourth cabinet and entrusted her with a historic mission: the fight against corruption. Rama's argument was that Diella had no siblings, no cousins, and no party friends, so she was completely incorruptible.
Bait with the AI Minister
Media outlets around the world “took the bait” and reported extensively on the world’s first female minister of artificial intelligence. The news went viral on social media. A Greek newspaper even conducted an interview with Diella. In it, she explained that she never gets tired during work, is not influenced by personal interests, and is able to analyze large amounts of data with very high efficiency.
Many journalists could not resist the temptation to present Diella in an idealistic rather than critical way. It simply seemed too good to be true the story of a former communist country in the Mediterranean that, with the help of an avatar and algorithms, prevents abuses in public procurement. At the end of this “heroic” struggle, the reward was supposed to come, by 2030 at the latest, with membership in the European Union.
Artificial intelligence, concrete criminality
But this battle seems to be lost before it even starts. In December, the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) placed two senior officials who headed the National Information Agency under house arrest. It was this agency that had developed, in collaboration with Microsoft, the artificial intelligence minister Diella. The charges against the director and her deputy are serious: they are suspected of belonging to a criminal organization that systematically manipulated tenders through intimidation.
None of them were fired. As the connecting link between the government and the people, the Information Agency answers directly to the prime minister. It holds responsibility for Albania's digital platforms and, with them, the strings of power over the famous Sun.
Shortly after her appointment, the avatar minister gave a speech before the Albanian Parliament. She said she felt hurt by critics who called her role unconstitutional, since she is not human and therefore cannot fight fraud and abuse. The journalists present remained skeptical. They feared that Diella could become the perfect alibi: any corruption affair could easily be blamed on a software error.
Modeled after the traditional dress of Catholic women in Northern Albania and with the appearance of an actress, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence looked completely innocent. In her emotionless voice, she promised exactly what had been missing until then: transparency and accountability.
Facade, fiasco and frustration
Publicist Lutfi Dervishi calls the Diella project a “fiasco.” “Meanwhile, Diella has become a showcase mannequin, not the brain of reforms,” says Dervishi. His assessment is not at all mild: “Artificial intelligence for the gallery, improvisation for everyday life.” The attempt to give a digital creature, in addition to a programmed smile, also morality was destined to fail from the beginning.
Rama loves big PR stunts. Before the spectacle with the artificial intelligence minister, in March he ordered TikTok to be blocked for a year after an online conflict between two students ended fatally. Even then, the violence was easily blamed on the technology used.
“TikTok is the neighborhood bully,” Rama declared at the time. However, experts cited by the investigative network BIRN stressed that the ban on the video app did not lead to a decrease in violence in schools. Thousands of people bypassed the blockade through VPN connections. Now, the TikTok ban is not expected to be extended beyond March.
More than the role of prime minister, Rama seems to enjoy that of influencer. On Facebook he has 1.6 million followers, on Instagram 655 thousand, while on X nearly 357 thousand. As an artist, former professional basketball player and publicist with a pronounced polemic tendency, Rama presents himself on the international stage as an unconventional politician. In his appearances he often plays the role of "multi-colored parrot". His preference for colorful ties, black baggy pants and white sneakers regularly attracts attention. With his humorous speeches, this egomaniac and self-promoter even wins admirers at the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels.
But as soon as he returns to Albania, this facade collapses in the face of reality. Justice has targeted several high-ranking politicians: the mayor of Tirana is in prison, a former finance minister is wanted on an arrest warrant – in the meantime he has fled to Switzerland. Rama is currently protecting his deputy prime minister, Belinda Balluku, from possible arrest. In this quagmire, the minister of artificial intelligence, Diella, is left with only the role of a passive spectator. / Taken from DER BUND
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