Hong Kong to set up ‘AI city brain’ to boost disaster response and public safety

Hong Kong plans to establish an "AI city brain" system to enhance its disaster response and public safety measures. The system, spearheaded by an interdepartmental task force, will utilize AI analysis, big data analytics, and data-sharing to provide early warnings, trend forecasts, and improve interdepartmental collaboration. The first phase, slated for launch in the second quarter of next year, will integrate with the Security Bureau's Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre to bolster the city's response to extreme weather events and public order management.

The AI city brain will draw data from various departments, including the Observatory, Drainage Services Department, and Fire Services Department, as well as information from the 999 emergency hotline and 1823 public inquiry and complaint hotline. Additionally, a traffic management platform will employ big data and real-time traffic information to formulate contingency plans for extreme weather.

A new role of AI commissioner will be created under the Digital Policy Office to oversee seven key areas of AI risk governance, such as combating AI-related crimes and establishing management guidelines for AI agents. The administration will also explore overseas examples, assess computing power demands, and implement the system using only government's internal computing resources and a private cloud to ensure security.