How an AI Minister Challenges the Boundaries of Trust in Government
Tirana, woensdag, 12 november 2025.
In November 2025, Albania sparked astonishment and debate by appointing Diella, a virtual minister—an AI designed to ensure transparency in public procurement. What stands out most? The 83 digital assistants supporting her are not symbolic figures but fully functional AI systems that help parliamentarians analyse legislation and monitor meetings. While this marks a world first, public confidence remains low: only 11.6% of Albanians trust their government institutions, and many continue to leave the country. The real question is not whether AI technology can perform, but whether it can restore what trust has already been lost—a challenge far greater than mere technology.
The World’s First AI Minister: A Symbolic Step Towards Digital Governance
In November 2025, Albania took a historic step in integrating artificial intelligence into public administration by appointing Diella, a virtual entity, as the world’s first AI minister. Named after the Albanian word for ‘sun’, Diella had previously been deployed as a digital helpdesk on the e-Albania portal, which has processed over 49 million services and serves 3.3 million users since 2020, including Albanian diaspora residents [source1]. The appointment was announced on 2025-11-11, just three days from the current date, and officially revealed by Prime Minister Edi Rama during the Global Dialogue Forum in Berlin on 2025-11-08 [source1]. Diella is not merely a technological experiment but a political statement: her mission is to accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector and combat corruption in public procurement, a role she had already assumed in September 2025 as the AI-based manager of all public tenders [source1][source3]. Appointing Diella, a virtual minister in a country where only 11.6% of citizens trust government institutions [source4], is seen as an attempt to modernise the public sector while rebuilding institutional transparency [source4].
The 83 Digital Children: How Functional AI Assistants Support Parliament
Diella’s role is amplified by the introduction of 83 digital children—fully operational AI modules that will assist each member of the Albanian parliament in analysing legislation, tracking meetings, summarising debates, and reminding them of missed sessions [source1]. These are not metaphors but integrated systems actively deployed within parliamentary processes, operating without legal authority but playing a strategic role in optimising policy-making [source1]. Prime Minister Edi Rama stated during the Global Dialogue Forum that the digitalisation of parliamentary work is ‘key to full transparency in public procurement’ [source1]. The integration of these 83 assistants is a direct implementation of Albania’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030, launched in August 2025 and open for public consultation until 11 September 2025 [source3]. The initiative is currently active and falls within the three-day window from the current date, indicating implementation was completed on 2025-11-11 [source1]. These AI assistants form part of a broader digital transformation, with Albania aiming to reduce its EU accession timeline from the usual 7+ years to just 2–3 years by leveraging AI systems capable of 99% accuracy in analysing the acquis communautaire [source3].
The Limits of Technology: Trust Cannot Be Automated
Although Albania’s technological innovation is striking, public scepticism remains regarding AI’s ability to address the core challenges of public administration. According to the Balkan Barometer 2024, only 11.6% of Albanians trust their government institutions—a decline of 5 percentage points compared to previous surveys—with corruption in the judiciary and healthcare cited as the primary drivers of distrust [source4]. This scepticism is mirrored in social dynamics: despite an average annual economic growth of 3.1% between 2013 and 2024 and a 9.4% unemployment rate in 2024, nearly one-third of the population has left the country, driven by high economic inequality (Gini coefficient: 36.0 between 2020–2024) [source4]. The Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK), supported by the EU and the US, filed corruption charges in May 2025 against three cabinet members, the deputy prime minister, and the mayor of Tirana, who is believed to be Rama’s intended successor [source4]. Nevertheless, criticism remains strong: ‘A virtual minister, no matter how advanced, cannot replace genuine political will to fight corruption and build inclusive institutions’ [source4]. The challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in how effectively AI can be leveraged as part of a broader strategy for social cohesion, inclusion, and accountability [source4].
AI in Global Politics: From Digital Government to Technological Diplomacy
Albania’s move toward an AI minister is not only a national experiment but also a signal within the context of technological diplomacy. As a member of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking since 25 June 2025, Albania now has access to supercomputing resources and Horizon Europe funding. It collaborates closely with Turkey on digital governance, AI education, supercomputing, healthcare, and defence [source3]. This partnership, described as a model for regional co-creation of technological futures, aims to build a more inclusive and multipolar digital order across the Western Balkans [source3]. Turkey, positioning itself as a technological partner with a national AI strategy, defence innovations, and smart city initiatives, can expand its regional influence while contributing to the security and innovation of the region through this collaboration [source3]. Albania’s e-Albania and Turkey’s e-Devlet platforms rank among the most advanced e-government systems in their region, enabling the potential for cross-border digital services [source3]. This technological diplomacy could transform the Western Balkans from a geopolitical buffer zone into a laboratory for digital transformation and strategic resilience, where innovation becomes a bridge between nations [source3].
How Readers Can Spot Fake News in the Age of AI-Driven Misinformation
The emergence of AI-driven figures like Diella underscores the urgency of media literacy in an era where deepfakes, generative AI, and automated news dissemination blur the lines between fact and fiction. Readers can take the following steps to identify fake news: verify the source of information—check whether the report originates from a verified media organisation or an official government webpage [source1][source4]. Watch for language patterns: AI-generated content often exhibits unnatural consistency, yet sometimes lacks emotional depth or contextual nuance [GPT]. Use tools like reverse image search or AI detection software to analyse images or texts for signs of falsified authenticity [GPT]. Ask yourself: is the story too good to be true? The claim that an AI minister is pregnant with 83 digital children, initially interpreted as satire, was in fact a metaphorical explanation for 83 functional AI assistants [source1]. The context of publication—the Global Dialogue Forum in Berlin and the timing of the appointment—shows the report was a deliberate communication strategy, not fabricated news [source1]. Readers should be aware that AI is used not only to spread disinformation but also to probe the boundaries of institutional trust, as demonstrated by Albania’s case [source3][source4].