Trilingual Hong Kong perfectly placed for artificial intelligence innovation, head of new research centre says
Director of the newly launched Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research says being able to communicate in English, Mandarin and Cantonese is a unique strength that can be of use to the tech industry
Hong Kong’s trilingual environment means it can develop artificial intelligence technologies for both English-speaking and Chinese-speaking markets, positioning it to become a leading innovation centre by 2030, according to the head of a new research hub.
Professor Pascale Fung of the University of Science and Technology highlighted Hongkongers’ capabilities in English, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese as a unique strength, as she launched the institution’s new artificial intelligence research centre on Friday.
It will drive new studies into how AI can be applied in business and medicine and examine how it should be regulated and used ethically, while promoting regional and international collaboration.
“AI cannot be just western style and it’s certainly not just Chinese style. So the collaboration is super important,” said the director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAiRE).
Leaders from top tech firms such as Baidu and academics specialising in business, engineering and humanities and social science were among the dozens of attendees at the event, held at the university’s Sai Kung campus.