A Russian Academy of Sciences academician explained whether Albania's AI minister could be incorruptible.

The world's first "incorruptible" AI minister of public procurement began work in Albania on Monday, September 22. It is none other than a virtual model named Diella (diella means "sun" in Albanian). The virtual image is constructed in the form of a woman, dressed in traditional Albanian dress. According to the ruling Socialist Party of Albania, Diella is intended to guarantee successful anti-corruption efforts in the country.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been used in public administration. We've all encountered AI bots when making doctor's appointments or calling emergency services. The cry of the average person after a stalled "conversation" with an AI: "Connect me to a human!" has become a byword. And in Albania, it turns out, a bot has been appointed to lead an entire ministry, as the Albanian publication Telegrafi reported back in early September.

Diella became one of 17 members of the government approved by the Albanian Parliament. The main proponent of this idea, Prime Minister Edi Rama, stated that Diella, taking charge of state tenders, would rid the public procurement sector of corruption.

MK Reference: Algocracy is the rule of algorithms, power based on the use of algorithms, implemented through automated means.

In response to the opposition Democratic Party's protest that such an appointment was illegal, the virtual minister responded "personally," declaring that the country's constitution is primarily concerned with the people and has nothing "about chromosomes, flesh, and blood."

According to Telegrafi, no one yet knows exactly how Diella will work. Edi Rama stated that the minister will soon be available for public discussions and will be able to participate in government affairs.

The Prime Minister makes no secret of the fact that he is enjoying the moment and the attention his Diella has “won” in the international media.

"I've appointed 60 ministers (over the course of my several terms in office—Author), and I don't know how many more ministers I've appointed since my first day in office, but none of them have received international media attention, whereas the minister I appointed is the center of attention in every international media outlet. We're asked to talk about her every day," Rama said.

After this quote, published in a local newspaper, readers assumed that the prime minister appointed Diella only to draw attention to himself.

On Tuesday, the parliamentary faction of the Democratic Party of Albania filed a lawsuit in the country's Constitutional Court to overturn the decree of virtual minister Diella. The opponents' main arguments are that the bot is neither a human nor a citizen, that her "appointment" as minister is simply incompatible with the Constitution, and that it could, on the contrary, fuel corruption, since it is unclear to whom she will report.

We turned to Igor Kalyaev, a specialist in multiprocessor computing and control systems and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for comment on the furious advance of algocracy in a single country.

"The claim that an artificial bot can guarantee the government's integrity doesn't hold up to scrutiny," says Igor Kalyaev. "On the contrary, the main risks associated with AI are increased bias, since in this case it's unclear who exactly is behind its 'personal decisions.' The fact is, bots are programmed by the same people. Why do you think a number of existing Western language models display a bias toward liberal values ​​in their responses, despite many of them contradicting common sense? Because their programs are created by people with such views. The same could most likely happen with the new disembodied Albanian 'minister'—whoever controls his 'brain' will be granted procurement rights in the country. Very convenient, and you won't be able to find anyone to blame."

Yet, objective benefits from AI managers are still possible. According to estimates by the transnational professional services network Deloitte, mass automation could save the US government up to $41.1 billion annually through headcount reduction. This projection was based on data from the implementation of only supporting AI technologies, excluding the appointment of AI ministers.