New research institute to ramp up efforts as Hong Kong pursues ‘AI for all’

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 Choi Kit-ming said one of the priorities of the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute would be to integrate a locally developed large language model into a broader strategy.“I hope the [institute’s] first meeting can start in April or May,” Choi told the South China Morning Post. “It will mainly focus on facilitating the full research and development [R&D] chain – moving from upstream academic research to midstream and downstream transformation into practical industrial applications.”Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po first announced the institute’s establishment, backed by a HK$1 billion (US$127.6 million) investment, in his budget in February.Authorities earlier appointed a 14-member board of directors to the institute, with Professor Harry Shum Heung-yeung as chairman and Hendrick Sin as his deputy.Shum, an adjunct professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), is a renowned computer scientist who has made transformative contributions to artificial intelligence (AI) and industrial development, having spent nearly 24 years at Microsoft.