Erin Vilaj, the mayor of Tirana, made a promise of free lunch for all children in the city through a video as an AI avatar. This video, clearly labeled as AI-generated, was released while Vilaj is in prison due to corruption and financial crime charges.
Promise of Free Lunch for Students
In the video, Vilaj's avatar stands in front of the flags of Albania and the municipality, presenting his achievements during his tenure as mayor. He states in the video: "I have another commitment that I will never forget: food in schools." He continues, "I will keep this promise even from this cell in which I am imprisoned."
Vilaj's Imprisonment Status and Mayoral Elections
Erin Vilaj has been in the city of Durres prison since early 2025 and is currently under investigation for corruption and financial crime charges. He denies any wrongdoing. In the video, he says: "My hostage situation has lasted for 20 months, and I can only greet you with artificial intelligence. I continue my work even from this cell... I embrace you and your wonderful children with enthusiasm."
Following Vilaj's arrest and imprisonment, early elections for the mayor of Tirana were scheduled for last November, but at the last minute, they were canceled following a ruling from the Constitutional Court. The court stated that he could not be removed outside of normal democratic processes. While in prison, Vilaj has delegated his duties to several deputy mayors, but he remains the official mayor of the city until the mayoral elections in the first half of 2027.
Use of AI by Imprisoned Politicians
This is not the first time imprisoned politicians have used AI to communicate with the public. In 2023, Imran Khan, the former leader of Pakistan who is in prison, used an AI deepfake to encourage citizens to vote for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Also, in July, an AI-generated avatar of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, appeared at the inaugural campaign event for his son, Flavio. Bolsonaro is under house arrest and has been banned from participating in discussions or electoral events.
This is also not the first time Albanian officials have caused controversy using AI. In the fall of 2025, Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, introduced the country to "Dila," the first virtual minister based on AI who was officially appointed to the government cabinet and responsible for fighting corruption in bidding and financing processes. A few months after the appointment, Dila faced severe criticism as the woman whose image was used for Dila's face and voice objected to the use of her image for a ministerial position.
