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'Those who don't like Rama, hate me too'/ Reuters: The Face of the Sun demands 1 million euros in damages
2026-02-13 19:53:56 / POLITIKË
REUTERS
An Albanian actress is suing the government for using her face and voice to create the avatar of an “artificial intelligence minister” – a virtual cabinet member.
When Edi Rama began his fourth term as Albania's prime minister last September, he also introduced an artificial intelligence-generated virtual minister, "Diella" – sun in Albanian – to oversee the awarding of government contracts, as a step in the fight against corruption.
Diella has the face and voice of Anila Bisha, a film and theater actress, who says she never consented to her image being used in that way, and that it has brought her online harassment and unwanted attention on the streets.
“At first I was surprised, I smiled and said it must be a joke,” Bisha told Reuters. “Now people call me Diella and consider me just another government minister.”
She says that last year she had allowed the use of her image to create an artificial intelligence virtual assistant for a government website, to help citizens and businesses obtain state documents, but not to appear as a virtual politician on the prime minister's team.
"People who don't like the prime minister now hate me too."
The government denies using its image inappropriately. “The lawsuit is absurd, but we welcome the opportunity to resolve it once and for all in a court of law,” the government’s press office said in response to questions from Reuters.
The Albanian government's public image has been battered since December, after a special prosecution unit filed charges against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku for interfering in tenders for infrastructure projects, charges she denies.
Diella's image appears on the first line of the cabinet list on the government's website, next to photos of Rama and Balluk.
A court is expected to decide on Monday whether to order the government to stop using her image. Her lawyer, Aranit Roshi, said Bisha is seeking 1 million euros in damages.
“The law states that in cases of personal data breaches, fines for state institutions reach up to 21 million euros, so our request for 1 million is a reasonable amount,” he said.
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