Hong Kong is actively adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to transform into a smart city, focusing on boosting tourism, enhancing government services, and increasing its global competitiveness.

The government plans to leverage AI to improve public service delivery and streamline bureaucracy without expanding its workforce, supported by investments in AI infrastructure, talent development, and innovation initiatives like the AI Supercomputing Centre and a $3 billion subsidy scheme.

These efforts include upgrading the iAM Smart digital platform with AI features to make government e-services more seamless and integrated, consolidating over 70 apps into a single portal with more than 1,300 functions by the end of 2025.

Hong Kong is also expanding its supercomputing infrastructure to support AI research and application, aiming to become a hub for international high-performance computing projects, leveraging its data resources and global talent.

A central 'AI toolbox' will provide customizable, open-source AI solutions capable of handling around 100 tasks in 2025, expanding to 200 by 2027, to boost departmental productivity.

An 'AI Efficacy Enhancement Team' is overseeing the adoption of these tools across government departments, aiming to re-engineer workflows and streamline operations without increasing workforce size.

Funding for AI projects follows a tiered approval process: projects under HK$500,000 are handled internally, those between HK$500,000 and HK$20 million require approval from a digitalization working group, and projects over HK$20 million must be approved by the Legislative Council.

This tiered funding mechanism ensures proper oversight and strategic investment in AI initiatives, supporting Hong Kong’s broader digital transformation goals.

The city has reduced its number of government apps from over 100 to approximately 70 to streamline services and cut maintenance costs, with plans to further halve the number by 2027.

Public reactions to Hong Kong’s AI push are mixed, with enthusiasm about efficiency and innovation but concerns over privacy, surveillance, and digital divides, especially among less tech-savvy populations.

The upgrade of iAM Smart and other digital services aims to provide smarter, more responsive government services, consolidating functions and improving user experience.

Hong Kong is investing in expanding its supercomputing capacity to support AI and position itself as a global hub for high-performance computing, fostering innovation and international collaboration.