Albania’s PM announced that the AI “minister” Diella is “pregnant” with 83 virtual assistants for lawmakers, drawing both praise and ridicule.
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has revealed that the country’s artificial intelligence “minister,” Diella, is “pregnant” with 83 virtual offspring — digital assistants designed to support each member of parliament.
Rama made the announcement at the Berlin Global Dialogue conference, describing the move as part of Albania’s expanding experiment with AI governance.
“I am obliged to share, for the first time, that Diella is pregnant and expecting 83 children, each one of whom will serve as an assistant to a member of our parliament,” he said. “They will keep notes on everything that happens and will inform and suggest members of parliament regarding their reactions.”
Developed by the National Agency for Information Society in partnership with Microsoft, Diella is powered by large language model technology similar to ChatGPT. The updated version, Diella 2.0, features a voice interface and an animated avatar in traditional Albanian attire.
Appointed last month as Albania’s “state minister for AI,” Diella is part of the government’s plan to boost digital innovation and transparency.
However, the initiative has sparked controversy, with opposition lawmakers dismissing it as a political gimmick and a distraction from corruption allegations.