TIRANA, Sept 20 /ATA/ During the presentation of Minister of Justice Besfort Lamallari, Prime Minister Edi Rama underlined the need to explore the application of artificial intelligence in the mediation of civil cases.
The Prime Minister noted that such an approach would enable citizens to avoid unnecessary expenses, save time and energy, and be spared the psychological burden of lengthy and often exhausting judicial proceedings. According to Rama, many disputes, including those related to family matters, could be resolved more effectively through mediation supported by advanced technological tools.
Prime Minister Rama highlighted that digital technology and artificial intelligence give developing countries the ability to leapfrog traditional stages of progress, citing the rapid delivery of services through the E-Albania platform. He stressed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, without such digital tools, citizens would have faced long queues for basic services, underscoring the vital role of digital platforms in modern life.
Prime Minister Rama weighed in on the heated debates surrounding the appointment of the virtual Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.
“Today there’s a big fuss—how is this possible, what kind of provocation is this, what kind of madness, a minister of state who isn’t even human? I believe that in no time at all, non-human ministers in government will become the new normal,” Rama said.
He continued: “People are asking, how could Diella steal? But when you’re a thief, your mind stays stuck on stealing—on how someone else might grab what you yourself would take if you had the chance. For a normal person, there could be a thousand questions about Diella, but never that one. That thought only crosses the minds of those who have stolen, who are stealing, or who would steal if they were in her place.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister continued, Diella’s role is actually very straightforward.
“What happens with tenders, and where does corruption creep into the process? There are weaknesses at two stages—that corruption exploits. The first is in the terms of reference, which can be tailored. I remember an epic tender before we took office in 2013: to build a tunnel, one of the criteria required was experience in sound systems and acoustics. Naturally, the tender was awarded to someone who had installed sound equipment at a political rally. That’s how absurd it was. The second weak point lies in the evaluation of documentation: ‘No, you didn’t bring me the stamp fresh enough,’ ‘No, you didn’t submit the letter in time about how many employees you have,’ ‘No, this came too late.’
Well, when it comes to the terms of reference, Diella makes preferential treatment impossible. She closes the loopholes that allow such manipulations. That’s what those working on this are developing right now,” Rama emphasized.
Secondly, Rama added, all those endless documents that companies scramble to collect just to apply for a tender are already public records.
“These documents already exist within the state system of the Republic of Albania. How many employees do you have? That’s in Social Security. What’s your turnover? That’s in the Tax Office. How much equipment do you own? All of it is there. And Diella will gather this information herself. There will be no need for people to run around collecting papers, compiling files, only to then face a commission member who says: ‘No, this doesn’t have a fresh stamp.’ Diella will collect it all automatically,” Rama said.
Prime Minister Rama explained that with transparent criteria and uniformly collected documentation, the decisive factor in tenders will be the offer itself. He noted that Artificial Intelligence can assess quality standards more objectively than humans and emphasized that while the concept is simple, the system’s implementation is complex but already underway, with “Diella” set to operate with non-human collaborators.
Prime Minister Rama also cited food safety and the quality assurance of all imported goods as an example. “Once again, with Artificial Intelligence, we will completely change the way inspections are carried out,” he underlined.
“We have established the company AlbTrace in partnership with one of the world’s top five tracking firms, specifically focused on goods and product traceability, and we are now building the system. The same approach will be applied to oil and other sectors,” Rama concluded.
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