Hong Kong can become AI literacy hub, industry leaders say

Hong Kong holds the potential to become a global hub for artificial intelligence literacy, according to industry experts. At the Belt and Road Summit, Ellen Lau Sin-tung, executive director of Preface AI, emphasized the disparity between corporate leaders and employees during digital transformation. Leaders often grapple with fears of job displacement due to AI, while employees lack the necessary literacy to harness its benefits.

Lau stressed that companies must bridge this gap by fostering a culture of learning and experimentation, as well as embracing AI with humility and boldness.

Sony Angel Han, head of strategy and value advisory at IBM Consulting Hong Kong, echoed this sentiment, noting that while there is a strong desire to adopt AI within businesses, many companies are stuck in the proof-of-concept phase. Han called for a shift towards proving the active value that AI can bring to a business. Hong Kong's robust infrastructure in the Belt and Road Initiative, including data centers and electricity supply, positions it as a "superconnector" for the application layer, which can help build trustworthy AI models.

Albert Lam Yun-sang, chief research officer of Fano Labs, added that Hong Kong's open and mature legal system, along with its regulatory framework, makes it an ideal hub for transferring AI models from mainland China to other countries. Lam highlighted the city's hardware and environment as the perfect platform to help companies transition from the proof-of-concept stage to the proof-of-value stage, potentially making AI accessible and trustworthy in various markets.