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Albania appoints AI bot as minister to curb corruption

The Albanian prime minister Edi Rama says he's appointed the world's first AI-generated government minister to oversee public tenders, in an attempt to cut down corruption. He introduced the new member of the cabinet, named "Diella" - meaning sun in Albanian, at a meeting of his Socialist Party earlier this month.

Mr Rama does not deny that there is an element of a publicity stunt to his appointment - but says there’s serious intent behind the idea.

Albania has been a candidate for EU membership for 11 years but slow progress on tackling corruption has held it back.

Weekend heard from Elidor Mehilli, Associate Professor of History, Public Policy, and Human Rights at Hunter College in New York and a writer and commentator on Albanian politics.

(Photo: Albania's new AI minister shown on a smartphone. Credit: Adnan Beci/AFP )

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6 minutes