Albania’s AI minister Diella is facing mounting scrutiny after the National Agency for the Information Society, which developed the system, became the subject of a major corruption investigation involving alleged rigged tenders, criminal links, cash kickbacks and assets worth more than €40 million.
The controversy has also exposed concerns over digital exclusion, algorithmic transparency, legal accountability and a separate lawsuit by actress Anila Bisha, whose face and voice were used for the virtual minister.
Albania’s AI experiment under pressure
Inverted pyramid: Albania’s high-profile experiment with artificial intelligence in government has encountered a serious credibility challenge after prosecutors began investigating senior officials at the agency responsible for developing Diella, the country’s virtual AI minister.
The investigation has raised questions about whether artificial intelligence can reduce corruption when the institutions designing, operating and supervising the technology are themselves accused of corruption. According to Sonjib Chandra Das of BLiTZ, Albania’s government had promoted Diella as a safeguard against favouritism, nepotism, discrimination and manipulation in public procurement. However, the probe into the National Agency for the Information Society, known by its Albanian abbreviation AKSHI, has placed the initiative under renewed public and political scrutiny.
The allegations do not currently establish that Diella’s own development contract was corrupt. The Organisation for Coordinating Criminal Investigations and Reporting, or OCCRP, reported that the tender used to develop Diella was not among the contracts under investigation. Nevertheless, the agency’s alleged involvement in a wider procurement scheme has weakened confidence in the government’s claim that AI can help make public tenders free from corruption.
The individuals involved remain accused rather than convicted. OCCRP reported that the investigation was continuing and that the case had not yet been sent to trial. It also said that AKSHI, the Albanian government and lawyers representing the accused had not responded to its questions.
Diella’s creation and political role
Diella, whose name means “Sun” in Albanian, began as a chatbot designed to help citizens use Albania’s e-Albania digital services platform. The system assisted users seeking official documents, certificates, benefits and other administrative services.
In September 2025, Prime Minister Edi Rama elevated the digital assistant to a ministerial role. Reuters reported that Rama introduced Diella as an AI-generated virtual minister intended to supervise government contracts and support the fight against corruption.
The Guardian reported that Rama described Diella as the first cabinet member to be “virtually created” by AI and said the system would help make Albania a country where public tenders were completely free of corruption.
During Diella’s introduction before parliament, the avatar presented itself as having no personal ambitions or interests. As reported by Lindita Çela of OCCRP, Diella said that she had data, algorithms and a commitment to serving citizens without prejudice, discrimination, clientelism, nepotism or corruption.
The government’s argument is that an AI system does not have the personal interests that can influence human officials. It cannot, in theory, accept a bribe, favour a relative or seek political advancement. However, experts have warned that the system remains dependent on the people who select its data, write or adapt its software, maintain its infrastructure and interpret its recommendations.
AKSHI corruption investigation
At the centre of the controversy is AKSHI, the government body responsible for Albania’s digital infrastructure and many of its electronic public services.
According to OCCRP’s Lindita Çela, anti-corruption prosecutors suspect senior AKSHI officials of manipulating public tenders in favour of companies linked to an organised criminal group. Investigators allege that the group benefited from privileged access to government contracts and that officials received kickbacks.
Court documents cited in the reporting reportedly accuse the agency’s director and deputy director of violating procurement rules and co-operating with a criminal organisation. Prosecutors also allege that some payments were concealed in wine boxes containing cash.
The investigation has extended beyond government officials. Two owners of information technology companies have reportedly been charged in connection with the alleged scheme. One of the suspects was arrested in France, where authorities allegedly discovered that he owned a historic castle.
A deputy director of Tirana’s police force was also suspended while investigators examined allegations that he had protected or co-operated with members of the suspected criminal network. The investigation reportedly includes the seizure of bank accounts, vehicles, property, cash and other assets worth more than €40 million.
OCCRP additionally reported allegations involving technology entrepreneur Gerond Meçe. Prosecutors suspect that members of the alleged criminal group arranged his kidnapping to pressure him into withdrawing appeals against more than a dozen AKSHI tenders.
According to Meçe’s account cited by OCCRP, men using a black Land Rover Defender fitted with a police siren approached him in Tirana. He was allegedly forced into the vehicle, hooded and threatened with a bullet. Prosecutors suspect the operation was intended to remove objections that had delayed tenders allegedly designed to benefit insiders.
The claims have not been tested at trial. The Special Structure against Corruption and Organised Crime, known as SPAK, told OCCRP that the investigation remained ongoing.
Technology and institutional integrity
The investigation has revived a central question about AI-assisted governance: can technology combat corruption without first addressing institutional weaknesses?
Erjon Curraj, an expert in digital transformation at Tirana-based SCiDEV Center, told OCCRP that advanced AI was only as reliable as the people who built, operated, maintained and improved it. He questioned who would feed information into the system, verify the accuracy of that information and identify errors before they influenced government decisions.
Bojan Perkov, digital policy co-ordinator at the SHARE Foundation, also told OCCRP that corruption could not be eliminated through “magic” technology. He warned that highly publicised technology projects could sometimes serve political publicity rather than form part of a long-term governance strategy based on the rule of law.
The concern is not limited to corruption within the institution. AI systems can reproduce errors or bias present in the information used to train or operate them. If procurement data are incomplete, manipulated or selectively entered, an algorithm may produce recommendations that appear objective while reflecting the same weaknesses found in the human system.
The European Union Institute for Security Studies has similarly warned that Diella could influence how information is sorted, prioritised and presented to decision-makers. OCCRP reported that the institute raised concerns that the system could add another layer of opacity unless its outputs were traceable and subject to meaningful oversight.
Diella’s expanding responsibilities
The Albanian government has proposed giving Diella responsibilities that extend well beyond answering questions on the e-Albania platform.
Prime Minister Rama has suggested that AI could eventually monitor public procurement, evaluate bids, analyse legislation, assist parliament, assess investment opportunities and identify corruption risks before they become scandals. Officials have also indicated that the system could be involved in overseeing billions of euros in public contracts.
OCCRP reported that Rama joked in October 2025 that “Diella is pregnant” and expecting 83 digital children. He said these virtual assistants could attend parliamentary sessions, analyse European Union legislation and notify politicians when rivals mentioned them.
Diella herself was presented as capable of identifying investment barriers before they became crises, detecting corruption risks before scandals emerged and predicting market opportunities before they were missed. However, the precise legal and technical basis for these functions remains unclear.
The government has not publicly explained in sufficient detail which datasets would be used, how the system’s recommendations would be independently verified or how officials would document decisions influenced by AI.
Transparency and accountability concerns
The system’s potential role in procurement has raised concerns about the “black box” problem. This occurs when an algorithm produces a recommendation but users cannot clearly understand how it reached that conclusion.
Researchers and digital governance specialists have called for an independent testing environment, or sandbox, where academics, civil society organisations and technology experts could examine the system before it is used in real administrative decisions.
Curraj told OCCRP that Albania should not place the technology into live government operations without such safeguards. Independent testing could help identify algorithmic bias, technical weaknesses, security risks and unintended consequences.
Another unresolved question is who would be legally responsible if an AI-generated recommendation contributed to an unlawful procurement decision.
Opposition figures have questioned whether responsibility would rest with the minister who approved a decision, the civil servant who relied on the recommendation, the agency that maintained the system or the private companies that developed it.
The government has maintained that human officials will continue to make final decisions. Rama has also said that Diella’s outputs will remain auditable and that officials will be able to review the process manually. The practical operation of these safeguards, however, has not yet been demonstrated publicly in a way that resolves the concerns.
Digital progress and public exclusion
Diella’s development is part of Albania’s wider effort to digitalise public administration and align its institutions with European Union standards while pursuing membership of the bloc.
The e-Albania platform has reduced the need for many citizens to queue at government offices. OCCRP reported that technology users have welcomed the convenience, with some saying that online services allow them to obtain documents from home or through a mobile phone.
However, the digital transition has also created new barriers. OCCRP reported that about 95 per cent of government services were available exclusively online. Elderly people, people with disabilities and those with limited digital skills can therefore struggle to access services that are officially free.
The expansion of online administration has led to a growing network of private intermediaries who charge citizens to complete applications. BLiTZ similarly reported that people who once relied on direct assistance from local officials were increasingly paying businesses to navigate the digital system.
For some citizens, this has replaced one form of informal payment with another. OCCRP cited the case of Bajram Hasxhepa, an older man with diabetes who lost both lower legs. He reportedly had to travel to a shop that also operated as an internet service point, pay an application fee for a free document and remain outside because the premises lacked a wheelchair ramp.
These experiences have prompted criticism that digitalisation does not automatically make government more accessible or equitable.
Anila Bisha’s legal action
Diella is also at the centre of a separate dispute involving actress Anila Bisha, whose face and voice were used for the avatar.
Reuters reported that Bisha had agreed to the use of her likeness for an AI-powered virtual assistant helping citizens and businesses obtain government documents. She argues that she did not authorise the government to transform that digital representation into a political figure or cabinet minister.
Bisha told Reuters that people now refer to her as Diella and that political hostility directed at the government has sometimes been directed at her. Reuters reported that the government rejected her allegations, describing the lawsuit as unfounded while saying it was prepared to resolve the matter in court. Her lawyer, Aranit Roshi, said she was seeking €1 million in damages.
Deutsche Welle reported that Bisha’s contract, signed in December 2024, allowed her likeness and voice to be used for the e-Albania digital assistant for a specific period. Her legal argument is that the later ministerial use exceeded the purpose of that agreement.
DW reported that Bisha asked the Administrative Court to suspend the use of her likeness and voice pending a final ruling. The case names the Council of Ministers, AKSHI, the private company involved in creating the avatar and Prime Minister Rama as defendants.
The legal issue may involve personal-data protection as well as image rights. Elton Peppo, an associate professor of law at the University of Tirana, told DW that a person’s likeness and voice may be treated as personal data under Albanian rules aligned with European data-protection standards.
The reporting contains different dates regarding the filing and procedural development of the case. Reuters and DW reported on proceedings in February 2026, while OCCRP referred to Bisha filing the lawsuit in April. These differences may reflect separate stages or updates in the legal process.
Test for Albania’s reform agenda
The AKSHI investigation comes as Albania seeks progress towards European Union membership. Corruption control, judicial reform, transparent procurement and accountable public administration remain important parts of the accession process.
The scandal does not prove that Diella is technically incapable of supporting public administration. Nor does it establish that the AI minister’s own contract was involved in the alleged tender manipulation. It does, however, demonstrate the difficulty of separating technological innovation from the institutions that control it.
For Diella to become a credible anti-corruption instrument, Albania would need to provide clear information about its datasets, decision-making rules, human review procedures and audit mechanisms. Independent scrutiny would also be required to ensure that the system does not simply reproduce existing institutional bias.
As reported by Sonjib Chandra Das of BLiTZ, the wider lesson is that artificial intelligence may support transparent governance but cannot replace honest institutions, effective law enforcement and public accountability. The continuing investigation, the unresolved questions surrounding procurement and Bisha’s legal action will determine whether Diella becomes an example of responsible AI governance or a warning about using technology without sufficient institutional safeguards.
