Get ready to work smart, Nicholas Yang says
Hong Kong should prepare for the growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, robotics and other so-called disruptive technologies that will transform the way the city works, according to the new Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung.
Hong Kong should prepare for the growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, robotics and other so-called disruptive technologies that will transform the way the city works, according to the new Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung.
Yang told a technology forum yesterday that the automation of knowledge work, the "internet of things", is likely to be one of the top such technologies that will require new ways to working.
He noted Harvard University's Stem Cell Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Global Innovation Node, saying that both consisted of dozens of departments and organisations, making "collaboration and collective excellence a key to success."
Taiwan-born Yang, 60, was appointed to the job on Friday. He has nine focus areas for the bureau, including facilitating collaboration with top research organisations, encouraging investment and promoting smart manufacturing.
He has previously said that Hong Kong will undergo "re-industrialisation" with land to be used for "smart production" to create job opportunities for Hongkongers.
Yang was Cyberport's chief executive officer from 2003 to 2010. He went on to spend five years at the Polytechnic University as executive vice-president.
He spoke yesterday as some of the best disruptive technologies from Hong Kong and the mainland competed at the "i-future" maker competition.
Four start-ups each from the mainland and Hong Kong were involved, with mainland teams winning gold and silver medals and Team Hong Kong the bronze.
The winner was a product called Sleepace, a sleep sensor that users can put under their bedsheet.
The scarf-like device is a "non-wearable" which promises more comfort in use. It is made in neighbouring Shenzhen - a major manufacturing and technology hub.
Hong Kong's Air Button won third place. It is a customizable button that can be stuck to the back of a smartphone.
With its app installed, it can activate any function the user wants.
For example, a reporter could use it to switch on a recorder and a selfie lover could use it as a shutter for the phone camera.
