Officials talking about artificial intelligence (AI) often speak in terms of the next industrial revolution or existential risks. Such rhetoric ultimately does little to capture how AI filters into the ordinary workings of a city like Hong Kong. The geopolitics of AI are no longer abstract. They are beginning to shape who can use which…
Mainstream media, particularly in Hong Kong, have historically been conservative in their research and development spending. Media executives prefer to shop for off-the-shelf solutions, treating technology as back-office support rather than a core growth engine. This mode of operation now faces an existential challenge amid the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI), large language models…
Hong Kong cannot be faulted for not working hard enough to catch up in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. Government funding is flowing generously towards projects focused on AI adoption. In recent years, the government has pumped billions into building the necessary infrastructure, including HK$2.84 billion (US$364 million) for a semiconductor centre, HK$3 billion…
Hong Kong ranks among the world’s largest data centre hubs but has a carbon footprint exceeding the global average, a United Nations think tank study has found, urging a responsible strategy to tackle the “unintended impacts” of using artificial intelligence (AI). The June report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health…
Hong Kong’s technology infrastructure is undergoing a major transformation as local government and businesses replace Western products with domestic alternatives, driven by closer integration with mainland China and rising geopolitical risks, according to tech experts. US tech giants like Microsoft have long “served as the bedrock of Hong Kong’s digital landscape”, but that dominance is…
By Steven Chan Hong Kong attempts to position itself as Asia’s innovation hub, and the numbers look impressive. Server racks in data centres. Photo: Brett Sayles, via Pexels. According to market data, the city hosts 47 data centres with a total IT load of 581 megawatts. Another 671 megawatts worth of facilities are already in…
A new research institute in Hong Kong is set to ramp up efforts to develop “AI for all” as early as this month, mapping out a strategy to strengthen the government’s capabilities while ensuring all residents and sectors benefit from the technology, a senior official has said. Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Kevin…
A computer system containing Hong Kong prison employees’ personal data has been hacked, compromising the information of 6,800 current and former staffers. The Correctional Services Department said on Friday evening that a hacker had gained illegal access to one of its IT systems on Tuesday. “After a preliminary investigation, the Correctional Services Department believes the…
Hong Kong’s finance chief has likened the powerful AI agent OpenClaw to an efficient “digital employee”, saying it should not be dismissed but rather improved to address security risk concerns. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po’s remarks on Monday followed the Digital Policy Office’s recent advisory urging government departments to avoid installing OpenClaw or its variants…
Hong Kong authorities have asked all government units not to install OpenClaw or its variants due to security concerns, days after some mainland Chinese entities were reported to have restricted the use of the AI agent. The government’s Digital Policy Office (DPO) told the South China Morning Post on Friday that while no related security…