A country in Europe wants to have ministries led to eliminate corruption: “There would be no nepotism or conflicts of interest”

While most European states are reluctant to resort to AI due to safety and scope fears, Albania exploits technology to accelerate its accession to EU and to fulfill obligations such as eliminating corruption, reports Politico.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama mentioned last month that artificial intelligence is an instrument for eradicating corruption and increasing transparency. The state of 2.7 million inhabitants even wants to innovate in this field.

“One day, we may even have a ministry run to AI,” Rama said at a July press conference, while discussing digitalization. “In this way, there would be no nepotism or conflicts of interest,” he argued.

The prime minister also encouraged local developers to work on creating a model to be elected minister. If this model is reached, he could lead the country to “be the first to have a government made up of a ministers of a prime minister,” added Rama.

“The companies will be better run by you than us”

Although no official measures have been taken and Rama's function is not yet officially available, the prime minister said that the idea should be taken into account seriously.

Ben Blushi, former politician of the ruling party and author with a special interest to have, does not believe that there are reasons for this technology and that the states led by AI are a real possibility that could overthrow our concept of democracy.

“Why should we choose between two or more human options if the services we receive from the state could be provided by AI?” Blushi told Politico. “The companies will be better run by us, because it does not make mistakes, it does not need a salary, it cannot be corrupt and it does not cease to work.”

Albania has long experienced corruption in all aspects of society, and politics is no exception. The government party had a number of officials accused and convicted for corruption. The opposition leader, Sali Berisha, is currently facing a corruption process, and the former prime minister and president of Ilir Meta are behind bars.

How is you used in Albania

Albania has already resorted to artificial intelligence in administration to manage the thorny issue of public procurement, an area that the EU has asked the Government to strengthen, as well as to analyze the real -time tax and customs transactions, identifying the irregularities.

The territory of the country monitored by intelligent drones and satellite systems that use artificial intelligence to discover sanding irregularities, beaches or to detect cannabis plantations.

Albanian authorities have plans to use artificial intelligence to combat problems on Albanian roads, using facial recognition technology to digitally transmit a message on the driver's mobile device, urging him to reduce speed, as well as to send details about fines to overcome SMS or Email. Currently, the country has one of the highest rates of fatal road accidents in Europe, according to the National Statistics Agency, mainly due to exceeding speed.

There are also plans to introduce artificial intelligence in the medical system, education and digital identification of citizens.

Jorida Tabaku, a member of the Albanian Parliament from the Democratic Party in opposition, warns, however, that you have an instrument and not a miracle, and if it falls into the hands of inappropriate people it can be harmful.

“If the same actors who have benefited from corrupt auctions are the ones who program the algorithm, then we do not go to the future. We are on the past,” she said. “You cannot repair a tricked system by putting it in the cloud. In a country where 80% of the budget is spent through public contracts, and one third of them are assigned without real competition, you will not eliminate corruption. It will hide it better,” she added.

The promotion AI comes in the context of increased attention paid to digitalization in Albania. Rama announced in July that he wants the country to give up cash until 2030, passing exclusively to digital payments. Also, the country recently moved 95% of all services for online citizens, through a portal called E-Albania.