Albania appointed Diella an AI system developed by the National Agency for Information Society with Microsoft as the world's first "Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence" on September 11, 2025, tasking it with curbing corruption in public procurement through transparent tender evaluations. Prime Minister Edi Rama hailed the virtual avatar depicted in traditional Albanian attire as ensuring "100% corruption-free" contracts, evolving from Diella's prior role issuing 36,000+ documents via the e-Albania platform amid EU accession pushes.
Russian media and officials ridiculed the move as absurd "propaganda fantasy," with opposition Democrats challenging its constitutionality in court, arguing ministers must be human citizens.
Diella's oversight involves human sign-offs on recommendations from a fine-tuned GPT model, sparking debates on AI's real politics versus spectacle in Albania's digital reforms. Rama's fourth-term stunt drew walkouts and global curiosity, but critics decry limited transparency risks. Russia leveraged it to jab Western innovation.