AI-generated 'minister' makes debut in Albanian parliament

The world's first AI-generated government "minister" has been introduced to the Albanian parliament to a mixed reception.

The so-called state minister for artificial intelligence, named Diella, appeared in front of parliament with a three-minute address delivered on two screens on Thursday, almost a week after Prime Minister Edi Rama revealed it would be part of his cabinet.

Mr Rama said he was presenting Diella - the female form of the word for 'sun' in the Albanian language - as a symbol of his government's push for transparency and innovation, assigning it the task of addressing corruption concerns.

The avatar, which was depicted as a woman wearing traditional Albanian dress, told MPs: "I am not here to replace people but to help them.

"True, I have no citizenship, but I have no personal ambition or interests either.

"I assure you that I embody such values as strictly as every human colleague, maybe even more," it added.

Opposition lawmakers objected, arguing the move was unconstitutional as the bot is not human, does not hold Albanian nationality and could lead to more corruption.

They banged their hands on their tables as the video played, and boycotted a vote on the programme, but it passed anyway with 82 votes in favour in the 140-seat parliament.

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Justifying itself in its speech, the bot said: "The constitution speaks of institutions at the people's service. It doesn't speak of chromosomes, of flesh or blood.

"It speaks of duties, accountability, transparency, non-discriminatory service."

Socialist Mr Rama, who won a fourth term in office in May, argued that the bot would help the government work faster and with full transparency.

Diella was developed earlier this year in partnership with Microsoft and uses the latest AI models and methods to ensure accuracy in carrying out its responsibilities, according to Albania's National Agency for Information Society.

It is part of his larger plan to highlight the nation's technological innovations as the government works toward European Union membership, which it has pledged to secure within five years.