Diella, the AI appointed minister in Albania, during her demonstration in Belgrade on September 18, 2025.Keystone
Anila Bisha, face and voice of Diella, the artificial intelligence appointed Minister of Public Procurement in Albania, denounces the unauthorized political use of her image and is taking legal action.
March 1, 2026, 5:22 p.mMarch 1, 2026, 5:22 p.m
Briseida MEMA, Tirana, Albania / afp
In Albania, Anila Bisha has been an “indispensable” figure in cinema and theater for decades. But for several months she has been living in the shadow of Diella, the artificial intelligence to which she lends her face – a role she says she never wanted.
In September, when Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment of an artificial intelligence as Minister of Public Procurement in one of his trademark PR coups, it was the actress’s face that appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.
A few days later, her digital double addresses parliament in traditional Albanian costume – in a video that has been viewed millions of times.
Actress Anila Bisha reacts to her AI double.Image: afp/watson
Seeing her own face giving a speech she knew nothing about, in a role she never accepted, makes Anila Bisha dizzy. She says:
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw myself making a speech in Parliament, when I heard my own voice saying ‘I’m a minister’ […] I had to cry a lot.”
Anila Bisha
At the beginning of 2025, Anila Bisha had agreed to lend her face and voice to a virtual assistant for E-Albania; a public services portal designed to help citizens find their way in the labyrinth of administration.
To create this avatar, she had to stand for hours and talk continuously. Every movement of her mouth and every sound had to be recorded so that the AI chatbot, called Diella (editor’s note: “sun” in Albanian), could naturally respond to users’ requests.
The AI is not incorruptible
Within a few months, Diella recorded almost a million interactions on E-Albania and issued over 36,000 documents via the platform. This success is also recognized by the government and users alike.
What prompted Prime Minister Edi Rama to appoint Diella as Minister of Public Procurement in September 2025 was a promise to make public tenders “100% corruption-free” – and would thus address a widespread problem in Albania.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.Keystone
The head of the department responsible for AI has been under house arrest since December because of alleged involvement in illegal manipulation of public tenders. Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, accused in a public procurement corruption case, was suspended at the end of 2025.
But the appointment of this virtual minister immediately met with strong criticism: experts warn against the illusion of an incorruptible AI, and lawyers question the legality of this appointment. The opposition is turning to the Constitutional Court, concerned about who will bear responsibility for the decisions made by the AI.
Anila goes to court
Anila Bisha explains that she always did not know that her image would become that of a minister and tried to reach the government for months. “The use of my image and my voice for political purposes is something very serious for me,” says the actress. She adds:
“The people who don’t like the Prime Minister hate me, and that hurts a lot.”
Anila Bisha
She assures that she has only concluded a contract with the Albanian government, which expired on December 31, 2025, for the use of her image within the framework of the services offered by E-Albania to citizens.
Given the government’s silence, Anila Bisha no longer believes in an amicable solution and has filed a lawsuit. On Monday, an application to suspend the use of her image pending a court decision on the main case was rejected by an administrative court.
But her lawyer, Aranit Roshi, assures that a new lawsuit will be filed in the coming days, including a claim for damages of one million euros for violating her personal rights.
The government said in a statement that it “welcomes the opportunity to finally resolve this matter in court.”
Anila Bisha promises that she will not hesitate to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if necessary.