The system, called Diella, meaning “sun” in Albanian, has been charged with managing and awarding public tenders. Rama announced her role on 11 September as he prepared to begin a fourth term in office. “Diella is the first Cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” Rama told parliament.

He added that she would help make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100 per cent free of corruption.”

The awarding of government contracts has been a long-running scandal in Albania. Critics say the tendering system has been riddled with graft and has become an easy route for gangs to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking. Political analysts argue that such corruption has penetrated the highest levels of power.

Rama insisted that Diella would address this history of abuse. “No one can call her, invite her to dinner or pressure her. She will apply only the criteria that are programmed,” he said.

He presented the AI as proof that his government is serious about building a cleaner procurement process and restoring faith in state institutions.

Albania has been trying for years to convince Brussels that it can tackle corruption as it pushes for EU membership by 2030, but many in the bloc see the target as wildly ambitious. One EU official, speaking off the record, said the idea was “innovative but untested” and warned that algorithms can be manipulated if oversight is weak.

The government has offered no real detail on how Diella will be monitored, who will supervise her decisions, or what safeguards exist against misuse. Opposition politicians have already raised the prospect of “a new layer of opacity” where no one knows how the AI reaches its conclusions.