Albanian Actor Anila Bisha Sues to Reclaim Her Face From Unauthorized AI Minister Role

Anila Bisha's AI Avatar Becomes AI Minister Without Consent

Albanian actor Anila Bisha never imagined her face would deliver a parliamentary speech she knew nothing about. In September, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced with fanfare the appointment of what he claimed was the world's first AI minister, tasked with preventing corruption in public procurement 1

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. The AI-generated likeness wearing traditional Albanian dress was Bisha's face, speaking in her voice, declaring to parliament: "I am not here to replace people, but to help them" 2

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. The 57-year-old actor, renowned for a 30-year career playing complex women on stage and screen, watched in shock as her digital doppelganger performed a role she never agreed to. "I couldn't believe it when I saw myself delivering a speech in parliament, when I heard my voice saying that I am a minister," she told AFP. "I was in shock, I cried so much" 1

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From Government E-Services Portal to Unauthorized Political Use

In early 2025, Bisha had willingly lent her face and voice to create a virtual assistant for a government e-services portal designed to help citizens navigate bureaucracy 2

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. The work was grueling—she stood for hours speaking nonstop while every mouth movement and sound was meticulously recorded to make the chatbot, dubbed "Diella" or "Sun" in Albanian, respond naturally to user requests 1

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. Within months, Diella had recorded nearly a million interactions and issued over 36,000 documents through the platform, a success celebrated by both the government and users 2

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. "I received so many congratulations about Diella," Bisha recalled 1

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. But the unauthorized political use of her AI avatar would turn celebration into a nightmare. According to Bisha, she had signed a contract only for use on the e-services platform, and that agreement lapsed in December last year 2

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Legal Battle Over Image Rights and Identity Theft

Rama's sudden promotion of the chatbot to minister of public procurement, promising to make government tenders "100 percent corruption-free," drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and experts who raised constitutional and accountability issues 1

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. Bisha spent months trying to reach the government, but her messages were ignored 2

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. "The use of my image and my voice for political purposes is something very serious for me," she stated 1

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. Matters escalated when Rama told a Berlin conference in October that Diella was "pregnant" and would give birth to 83 children, one for each of his MPs 2

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. Bisha was disgusted. "People who don't like the prime minister hate me, and I feel so hurt," she said 1

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. Having abandoned hopes of an amicable settlement, she launched a legal fight earlier this month, seeking one million euros in damages for violation of her image rights . An administrative court rejected her attempt to suspend use of her image on Monday, but her lawyer confirmed they would lodge the main lawsuit within days 1

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. A government spokeswoman dismissed the suit as "nonsense" but welcomed resolving it in court 2

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Ethical Implications of AI and Questions of Consent

Bisha's determination to reclaim her face extends beyond financial damages. She's prepared to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if necessary 1

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. "I don't know what could happen with my voice and my figure, what else could be done?" she questioned 2

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. The case raises urgent questions about consent and identity theft in the age of AI. While Rama continues promoting Diella abroad as part of Albania's EU ambitions to root out corruption, irony shadows the initiative—the head of the department responsible for the AI has been under house arrest since December for alleged links to illegal manipulation of government tenders, and Rama's own deputy is embroiled in a corruption scandal 1

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. Though Bisha doubts AI could ever replace an actor's ability to convey "beautiful emotion," her experience has shaken her. "I don't know, its development is coming, and it's getting scary," she admitted 2

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. Her legal battle may set critical precedents for how governments and organizations can—or cannot—use AI avatars created from real people's likenesses without ongoing consent.