Analysis of Diella, Albania’s Digital Minister, in the Context of the Theory of Legal Personhood

Abstract

In September 2025, Albania surprised the world by appointing an artificial intelligence system named Diella as a minister: an unprecedented decision that caused intense controversy. According to the government’s justification, its (her) mission is to oversee public procurement, an area affected by corruption, under the premise of ensuring neutrality and transparency. However, the opposition contested the decision, claiming that public office is constitutionally limited to natural persons. This case revives the debate on whether AI systems can be granted legal personhood and, if so, what legal regime would apply. Some scholars support this idea as a means to clarify civil liability for damages, while others reject it for contradicting the classical notion of personhood, inherently linked to human dignity. Moreover, the alleged objectivity of algorithms is questioned, as they inevitably reflect the biases of their designers. The Albanian case illustrates the risks of delegating governmental functions to automated systems as a mechanism to evade accountability.