President Donald Trump famously created a White House agency using technology to improve governance. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has gone a step further by appointing an AI “minister” to his cabinet.
Rama announced this month that “Diella” will join his government as a minister. She already appears on the government’s e-Albania website to greet visitors. Her new role: overseeing public procurement.
She won’t need to be perfectly incorruptible to navigate the current system, writes The Washington Post. Last year, Albania scored 42 out of 100 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the prevalence of bribery, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. (Denmark ranked highest with 90; the U.S. ranked 65.)
Rama says artificial intelligence could help ensure fairer public tenders.
Rama, a 1.88-meter tall populist in power since 2013, has pushed Albania toward EU membership while facing concerns about corruption and democratic backsliding.
Certainly, the appointment of Diella as “minister” is largely symbolic, according to The Washington Post. Albania’s constitution requires that cabinet members be human beings, so while AI may assist in distributing government resources, humans must still set budgets and policy priorities.
The Albanian government has struggled with technology in the past. In 2022, its services were paralyzed for weeks by a massive Iranian cyberattack, which Rama compared to a bombing campaign.
Would a cyberattack that “kills” a government minister push Rama to invoke NATO’s mutual defense clause?
Turning to new technology to fight corruption—even symbolically—is a useful step. Rather than waiting for a hypothetical “superintelligent AI,” governments worldwide can explore ways to improve governance with today’s artificial intelligence.
In the United States, the government has lagged behind private industry in AI adoption. Around 150 AI-related bills were considered at the state level last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But adoption isn’t fast. The Post reports that China is far outpacing any Western country in deploying AI in hospitals, factories, and government offices.
We are in the early days of the AI era. In the risk-averse world of government bureaucracy, Albania deserves credit for trying something new.
