Denisa Kele, Tomi Kallanxhi and Besmir Semanaj announced on Tuesday that they have announced the first Artificial Intelligence candidacy in local elections, called TirANA (Tirana Algorithmic Neural Assistant).
The initiative refers to the precedent set by Prime Minister Edi Rama when he appointed as a member of his cabinet the first Minister of Artificial Intelligence, an algorithm that until yesterday provided online services to citizens on the e-albania portal.
"Behind this project stands a large team of experts from various fields, technology, urban planning, environment, transport, economy, justice and public services, who believe that the city of Tirana needs a new approach, based on transparency, efficiency and accountability," the AI experts wrote in their Facebook post.
But the initiative does not seem to be just an attempt to ironize or draw parallels with Rama's virtual minister.
"Our goal is not just to draw a parallel with Diella, although the comparison arises naturally. We are testing the legal boundaries to see if there is a possibility for such an entity to be registered with the CEC," Semanaj, one of the authors of the algorithm, told BIRN.
He added that they were in contact with lawyers to identify legal options, although they were aware that this would be very difficult or impossible./Reporter.al
"However, our goal is to create a precedent that will later push for legal changes," he added.
Asked by BIRN about the AI-created candidate, the Central Election Commission told BIRN that issues related to the registration of electoral subjects or candidates are reviewed only when a request or application is officially submitted, in accordance with the procedures and deadlines set out in the Electoral Code, while adding that it cannot comment on hypothetical or media-predicted situations.
“However, legally, the right to register as a candidate in the elections belongs only to Albanian citizens who meet the criteria set out in the Constitution and the Electoral Code,” the Commission said.
"If such a case is officially submitted for review, the CEC will handle it in accordance with the applicable legal framework and the powers recognized by the law," he added.
Comparing their virtual creation with that of the government, Semanaj further says that unlike Diella, the digital candidate for Tirana is subject to transparent standards for the public, where "every citizen has the opportunity to see the code, monitor the data source and verify its functioning."
"This is the example we give of how the Sun should be, unlike what exists today, where the code is unknown, the sources are not transparent, and the process is closed," he emphasizes.
Rama created a stir when, during the presentation of the new government team, he declared that he was entrusting a portfolio of state ministers to an algorithm called Diella, which, according to him, would be responsible for public procurement, a sector that is seen as a hotbed of corruption in government.
This decision was criticized as a decision that had no legal basis, but the President of the Republic included the artificial minister in his decree appointing Rama as prime minister, where he also assigned him "responsibility for the establishment and functioning of the virtual minister of Artificial Intelligence."
