This Country Wants to Replace The Government With AI

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Albania is testing AI like few countries ever have. Here’s what it really means, how far the experiment goes, and why skeptics—and hopefuls—are both paying attention.

Picture it: Algorithms as Ministers

Edi Rama, Albania’s Prime Minister, thinks AI could run the country better than humans. He isn’t joking. Last month, he said digital ministers could one day stamp out nepotism and graft. He even wants local techies to build AIs that might replace him.

Not everyone is convinced. Some say AI will save money and cut the red tape. Critics say the same bureaucrats who code the system will find new ways to hide old problems.

How Albania Uses AI—Right Now

This isn’t just talk. Here’s what’s happening:

• Drones and satellites track cannabis farms and illegal buildings.

• Algorithms spot funny business in government contracts and taxes.

• e-Albania, a website, automates public services—like applying for documents or filing papers. This move saved Albanians hundreds of millions of euros. politico.eu/article/albania-use-ai-artificial-intelligenve-join-eu-corruption/

• “Diella,” a chatbot, answers citizen questions and guides you through paperwork. It’s handled almost 400,000 tasks so far. ubitech.eu/ubitech-celebrates-one-month-of-successful-operation-of-the-avatar-based-virtual-support-agent-for-e-albania-portal/

Supporters argue you can’t bribe AI. It doesn’t care if you’re the prime minister’s cousin. But if the data is biased, or the same old crowd controls the system, it won’t change much.

The EU Wants Progress—And Fast

Joining the European Union is a big goal. Usually, it takes ages to rewrite old laws so they match EU rules. Albania built an AI tool that reads laws, translates them, and tells officials what needs fixing. The hope is to shrink years of work into months. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/albania-joins-eurohpc-joint-undertaking-2025-06-25_en

France even said Albania’s EU plan by 2027 “looks realistic”—mostly because the digital systems make change quicker. atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/are-albania-and-montenegro-on-the-fast-track-to-eu-membership/

Has It Worked?

Albania’s corruption scores are getting better, but the bar is low. The country jumped five points last year on the Transparency International index. tradingeconomics.com/albania/corruption-index. Prosecutions are up and a digital audit trail means fewer shady deals slip through the cracks.

Government services are now mostly online—over 1,200 of them. Almost everyone in the country uses these tools at least once. epctiranasummit.al/digital-revolution

The digital push isn’t just for show: real-time contract monitoring catches bad actors faster. And linking data between ministries means less paperwork, less speed bumps, and fewer excuses.

Why Critics Say Watch Out

AI isn’t magic. If you feed it bad data, it’ll spit out bad results. It can miss patterns, discriminate in weird ways, or let officials blame “the algorithm” when things go wrong.

One notorious example from the Netherlands: tax bots went after immigrant families more than others—and no one caught it in time. academic.oup.com/jpart/article/33/1/153/6524536

And, unless there are strict checks, AI can just bury dysfunction deeper. Most of Albania’s public spending still goes through contracts some say aren’t fully transparent. Without fixing the system, algorithms may mask corruption instead of exposing it. winsomemarketing.com/ai-in-marketing/albanias-ai-gambit-when-silicon-meets-sisyphus

Look East: What Estonia Did Right

If you want to see how digital government works, check Estonia. Everything there is online. Citizens can trace who checks their records. There are harsh penalties for digital snooping. And people trust the system—mostly because it’s not run by faceless bots but by people held to account. e-estonia.com/estonia-100-digital-government-services/

Albania’s system borrows some ideas, but not all. If it wants real change, experts say it needs clear oversight—humans who can undo what the algorithm does, audits to catch weird outcomes, and a way for people to challenge decisions.

Good Tech Needs Good Guards

Before letting bots run the government, countries like Albania need strict rules: clear audits, teams that spot bias, outside watchdogs, and simple ways for citizens to force reviews. Even the new EU AI rules call for these protections. tetrate.io/learn/ai/ai-governance-frameworks

Otherwise, tech just replaces one kind of mess with another.

So, What’s the Real Story?

Albania’s digital pivot is already fixing some old problems. Faster services. More transparency. Less corruption in certain places. But AI is no silver bullet.

If leaders rush the tech, or let old power groups run the algorithms, it won’t fix what’s broken. If they set up strong controls, bring citizens into the loop, and watch for bias, AI could help clean up government. Maybe even get Albania into the EU.

But whatever happens, the real lesson isn’t about robots or buzzwords. It’s about building trust, making the system work for everyone, and remembering: good government needs good people—no matter who (or what) is sitting in the prime minister’s chair.