Albania: AI Minister October 2025
The report that Albania's digital minister Diella is 'pregnant' and expects 83 'children' caused a stir. Prime Minister Edi Rama used this metaphor at the Berlin Global Dialogue on October 25 to announce the introduction of 83 digital assistants for MPs of his Socialist Party. Diella is not a human, but a state AI system that has been assisting citizens via the e-Albania portal in applying for documents since early 2025. In September 2025, Diella was additionally appointed as the 'Minister' for Artificial Intelligence, responsible for public procurement, with the aim of fighting corruption.
Quelle: Own Presentation
Introduction
The statement by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that the AI Minister Diella is 'pregnant' with 83 'children' drew international attention. This formulation, made at the Berlin Global Dialogue on October 25, Berlin Global Dialogue refers to the planned introduction of 83 digital assistants for members of Albania's Socialist Party. Diella is not a human minister, but a state AI system. Her appointment as the 'Minister' for Artificial Intelligence with responsibility for public procurement occurred on 11 September 2025, , with the stated goal of fighting corruption, bribery and cronyism in procurement.
Background
Diella was developed in collaboration with Microsoft and was originally deployed as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania portal to help citizens from early 2025 in applying for documents. The appointment as the 'Minister' for Artificial Intelligence is another step in Albania's digitalization strategy. The government sees this as a means to increase transparency and integrity in public procurement. The Context of this step ranges from symbolic marketing to serious governance questions.
Current Status
At the Berlin Global Dialogue, Prime Minister Rama announced that Diella was 'first time pregnant' and expects 83 'children'. This refers to 83 individual AI assistants to be assigned to the Members of Parliament of the Socialist Party, who won an absolute majority in the May 11 election, to assist them. These assistants are to record meetings, summarize content and provide recommendations for actions, such as Media reports Media reports from that time document. The overarching goal of Diella's appointment as Minister is to make procurements 100% free of corruption.. YouTube video
Quelle: YouTube
Analysis
The motives for this step are multifaceted. Domestically, the government addresses the high corruption risk in Albanian procurement. An AI as a 'referee' promises transparency, at least rhetorically. From an EU perspective, Albania signals with Diella a modern state governance to keep the pace of accession high. The EUISS warns, however, of gaps in legitimacy, traceability, and cybersecurity. The metaphor 'pregnant with 83 children' generates maximum virality, but also risks misunderstandings, as it refers factually to 83 modular AI helpers and not biological 'offspring'.
Quelle: YouTube
Quelle: drcommodore.it
Prime Minister Edi Rama and the AI Minister Diella at their presentation.
Reactions and Impacts
The opposition criticizes Diella's status as constitutionally questionable and calls it political theatre. Democrat leader Gazmend Bardhi points to open legal questions, such as AP documents. EUISS analysts see opportunities for EU convergence, but urge strict oversight, transparency and digital sovereignty, especially since US technology is likely to be used. International media coverage remains largely skeptical to curious. For citizens, faster access to files, explainable criteria and standardized documentation could result, provided the systems are explained, audited and legally anchored. For parliaments, there is the possibility to automate routine tasks such as minutes, research and drafts, but only with clear guardrails on accountability, source verifiability and data privacy.
Quelle: says.com
Diella, Albania's AI Minister, embodies the fusion of tradition and a technological future.
Conclusion and Open Questions
The headline about the 'pregnant' AI Minister is an attention anchor. The core is a political-administrative experiment: 83 specialized AI assistants are to support Albania's Parliament and procurement work. Whether this becomes a model for 'Algorithmic Governance' or a cautionary example depends on legal certainty, accountability and technical quality, not on metaphors. Open questions concern the regulation of powers, liability and appeal rights for Diella submissions in procurements, since an official, auditable legal framework is missing. It is also unclear who audits models, training data and prompt templates, especially in the case of possible reliance on Microsoft/Azure/OpenAI services. Also the timeline and quality assurance for the rollout of the 83 assistants are not yet detailed.
Quelle: rfi.fr
The introduction of Albania's AI Minister Diella is intended to combat corruption in Albania.