Overview

• Prime Minister Edi Rama presented Diella, previously the e-Albania virtual assistant, as a minister-level authority to supervise and award state contracts.
• The government says Diella will assume responsibilities gradually and decide based on predefined criteria rather than human discretion.
• Officials promise tenders that are 100% free of corruption, a claim reported alongside unanswered questions about human oversight, audit trails and cybersecurity.
• The initiative targets a longstanding corruption risk in procurement as Albania seeks to advance its bid to join the European Union before 2030.
• Analysts describe the move as unprecedented globally, with other countries using government AI but not granting ministerial decision-making power.