In an Unprecedented Move, Albania Appoints AI Robot "Della" as Virtual Anti-Corruption Minister

In a global first, Albania has announced the appointment of an AI-powered robot named "Della" as its virtual Minister of Anti-Corruption. This bold step aims to enhance transparency in government contracts and is part of Albania's ongoing efforts to join the European Union.

From Virtual Assistant to Government Minister

"Della," whose name means "Sun" in Albanian, began its government role in January as a digital assistant, helping citizens use the "e-Albania" platform, an online portal for government services. The system is built on a large language model from "OpenAI" and runs on the "Microsoft Azure" cloud platform.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the expansion of Della's duties to a new ministerial position. In this role, Della will be responsible for reviewing and evaluating all bids submitted by private companies for government contracts, based on objective criteria. Rama's goal is to make the country's public tenders "100% free of corruption," emphasizing that the new tool will help award contracts to "talent from all over the world" without bias.

Albania and Pressure for EU Accession

This initiative comes as Albania continues its bid to join the European Union, which it applied for in 2009. Brussels has repeatedly criticized Tirana for rampant corruption and urged it to adopt new reforms. Although the Albanian government has already enacted widespread legal reforms that led to the dismissal of many judges and prosecutors involved in corruption cases, Della's appointment represents an unconventional technological step to tackle the issue.

Debate Over AI Objectivity

Despite official optimism, Della's appointment sparks a debate about the objectivity of artificial intelligence. AI systems are not entirely free of bias, as they depend on the data they are trained on. However, Della's supporters argue that it is less susceptible to human temptations, and research suggests that such tools can effectively enhance integrity in government procurement and combat fraud and money laundering, provided they are used transparently and not solely to serve the interests of those who oversee them.