MeetKai and Albania Announce Joint Venture to Advance Sovereign AI

The partnership covers Albanian-language reasoning models, sovereign infrastructure, cross-government integration, and new AI applications for public services and priority sectors of the economy.

TIRANA, Albania and LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MeetKai Inc. ("MeetKai"), a Sovereign AI company, and Albania's National Agency for Information Society ("AKSHI") today announced the signing of an MOU to advance plans for a joint venture focused on building and operating a national sovereign AI ecosystem for Albania. Albania is building AI capability that also bears on its national security, the resilience of its institutions, and its independence in deciding how AI is used across government.

The joint venture will concentrate on sovereign infrastructure, large language and reasoning models built specifically for Albania, AI integrations across ministries, and new AI systems that improve public services and strengthen the country's long-term digital capability.

Albania is not starting from zero. The e-Albania program and the rollout of Diella have already put AI to work in public services. The joint venture builds on that base with systems developed on national terms, rooted in the Albanian language and run under Albania's own control, from infrastructure and models through implementation.

In practice, that means sovereign AI systems deployed in-country, reasoning models trained on local data and Albanian-language content, and sector applications co-developed with government. Early focus areas are expected to include digital government services, citizen interaction, education, and healthcare, with other public sector priorities to follow.

The venture will also fund local research and talent development and help institutions build the capacity to operate these systems themselves. A coordinated implementation structure will manage adoption across ministries, agencies, and public institutions, with a governance model built to carry the program well past the initial rollout.

"Albania has made artificial intelligence a serious pillar of its digital governance agenda and long-term national future," said James Kaplan, MeetKai Co-Founder and CEO. "What the country has already set in motion can now evolve into a deeper sovereign capability that connects government entities, enables a new generation of public service tools and applications, and raises the standard of human digital interaction by making AI secure, locally grounded, and truly native to Albanians."

"The progress already made has shown that AI can play a meaningful role in improving public services," said Prof. Assoc. Dr. Igli Tafa, General Director of AKSHI. "This partnership builds on that foundation by developing the next layer of national capability around Albanian language, Albanian institutions, and the country's long-term digital priorities. Our goal is to create a strong and practical framework for AI that Albania can deploy across government in a coordinated, trusted, and sustainable way."

Initial workstreams cover sovereign deployment architecture, Albanian-language model development, public sector integrations, and knowledge transfer to local teams. The goal is an AI foundation that Albania can operate and expand on its own.

"This is a landmark moment for MeetKai and an important step for sovereign AI in Europe," said Peter John Alexander, President and Chief Business Officer of MeetKai. "Albania has the ambition, leadership, and institutional foundation to become a model for sovereign AI in the region, and MeetKai is honored to help deliver the infrastructure, models, and applications needed to support that vision."

About MeetKai

MeetKai is a Sovereign AI company founded in Los Angeles in 2018. It specializes in post-training optimization, local-language reasoning models, and national AI platforms. Its SOVIA platform lets governments, enterprises, and consumers build and operate fully sovereign AI ecosystems, with control over their data, their localization, and the value those systems create.

About AKSHI

The National Agency for Information Society, known as AKSHI, is Albania's central institution for digital government services, information technology systems, and national digital infrastructure. It leads the country's digital transformation agenda, including the delivery of public services through e-Albania and the modernization of government technology platforms.

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