Albania’s AI virtual assistant Diella just got promoted to ‘minister’

Albania has turned to AI bot Diella to tackle public procurement, aiming to rein in the Balkan country’s long-standing issues with corruption and organized crime.

Albania’s government AI-powered virtual assistant, which helps citizens obtain everything from driver’s licenses to pension applications and court filings, has just become one of the world’s first AI politicians. 

“Diella is the first cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” and its task will be to keep Albania “100% free of corruption,” Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama reportedly said in a National Assembly of the Socialist Party on Thursday.

Its task will be to oversee all government procurement of goods and services from the private sector, which has led to a series of corruption scandals in Albania in recent decades.

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