Tirana mayor uses AI-generated avatar to address citizens from prison

Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Tirana, continues to communicate with residents through a computer-generated avatar posted on his official Instagram account. In the clip, the virtual version of Veliaj highlighted municipal achievements and promised that all primary-school students in the capital will receive free meals. The video is marked as created with artificial intelligence and shows the mayor in front of Albanian and municipal flags, though the figure is not the real Veliaj.

He has been detained in Durrës since November on corruption and financial-crime investigations, and he denies any wrongdoing. A constitutional court decision barred his removal from office outside normal democratic procedures, so his duties have been divided among deputy mayors while he remains mayor until the scheduled municipal elections in early 2027. The use of an AI avatar follows earlier Albanian experiments with virtual officials, such as the AI prime-minister avatar Diella.