AI, Albania and anti-corruption
Albania now swears that its procurements will be corruption free because of its new AI minister. If only! Yet, what the Albanian government is doing today is taking AI in a new direction, in the important area of public procurement. This was reported on by the BBC and as "AI is still a new tool – but if it is programmed correctly, when you put a bid in online, you can see clearly and more closely if a company meets the conditions and the criteria," says Dr Andi Hoxhaj of King's College London, a specialist in the Western Balkans, corruption and the rule of law.” Albania, like several other countries, have used AI in their public service systems, and Diella, as the AI virtual assistant is called, is presently guiding applicants through the process to obtain official documents.
Why do we care about this? Because it is one more positive tool for over-stretched and smaller governments to ensure that public procurements are transparent and accountable. And, even if it looks like a bit of a stunt, it’s still something that brings a smile to the faces of anti-corruption practitioners. If Albania does take this seriously, this can be a good example of how AI can be used in governmental procurements. This is a important step forward and we all should monitor how they move forward.
Links:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2znzgwj3xo
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/11/albania-diella-ai-minister-public-procurement