TIRANA, Oct 14 /ATA/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday that Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers developing nations like Albania a historic opportunity to leapfrog traditional stages of development.
Speaking at the WB6-EU Investment Forum, during the 2025 Regional Artificial Intelligence Hackathon, Rama emphasized the transformative potential of AI, calling it a “blessing” for countries that have historically lagged behind due to the linear nature of technological progress.
“For the first time, we are no longer dependent on the traditional path of development where new technologies would first reach advanced countries and trickle down to us much later,” Rama told the forum, which brought together 161 participants from across the Western Balkans and the diaspora.
He noted that Albania’s less bureaucratic and more agile institutional framework could serve as an advantage in adopting AI solutions more rapidly than some more developed European nations.
“Because our systems are less rigid and not as heavily layered as in countries like Germany or France, we can move faster,” he added.
Addressing the young innovators and developers participating in the hackathon, Rama said they represent a “strategic human capital” for Albania’s future and pledged full government support for AI and digital innovation.
The AI Hackathon aims to develop concrete, AI-based solutions for real-world societal challenges across the region and is part of a broader push to integrate digital transformation into the Western Balkans’ economic agenda.
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