What If AI Ran Government Programs?

Because it is so convenient, its popularity has grown immensely over the last few years. The country of Albania enlisted an AI virtual assistant named Diella to help reduce government corruption that was inhibiting the country from joining the European Union (EU). At first, Diella served as a virtual copilot to help users navigate the government’s public service website e-Albania, but soon she became much more.

01AI Diella Goes From Virtual ‘Assistant’ to Virtual ‘Minister’

To be accepted into the EU, Albania had to show that it was working to remove deeply rooted corruption within its government. In January 2025, the Albanian National Agency for Information Society introduced Diella, a computer program (much like ChatGPT) powered by AI that would monitor government decisions to ensure they were honest and fair.

The program was given a name and the voice of Albanian actress Anila Bisha. By September, the AI virtual “assistant” was upgraded to Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. The human-like program progressed to speaking at official presentations and even before the Albanian parliament. Diella took responsibility for decisions about what the authorities should buy and from where, among other important choices. Though humans made the final call, Diella played a large part in the government’s processes.

02Anila Bisha Doesn’t Appreciate It

Anila Bisha, a renowned actress with a 30-year acting career and the woman whose voice and face was used for Diella, is not happy with the program. She claims that she authorized the use of her voice and face to help internet users navigate e-Albania, but she never permitted the government to use her image for an AI minister.

“It was surprising when I heard the prime minister declare it. I asked how this could happen without my knowledge, without anyone asking me if I wanted my image to be used or not,” Bisha told the Associated Press.

After several failed attempts to get a government response, Bisha is taking legal action. She is fearful that her face is being used as a political statement and frustrated at being continuously recognized by the public as a minister rather than the accomplished actress she is.

This is not the first time and surely won’t be the last that AI comes under fire. The use of artificial intelligence is still relatively new, and its possibilities are seemingly endless. The law will have to catch up with AI’s advanced capabilities and the good or harm they can create.