Albania has appointed an artificial intelligence bot as a new minister to oversee public procurement, in a move Prime Minister Edi Rama says will help eliminate corruption.

The bot, named Diella – meaning “sun” in Albanian – will manage and award all public tenders in which the government contracts private companies.

“Diella is the first cabinet member who isn’t physically present, but is virtually created by AI,” Rama said while unveiling his new cabinet. He added that Diella would help make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption.”

Public tenders have long been a source of scandals in Albania, a Balkan state often described by experts as a hub for gangs laundering profits from drug and weapons trafficking. Corruption at high levels has complicated Albania’s

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