https://www.scmp.com/rss/322488/feed Kai-Lung Hui is Elman Family Professor of Business and acting dean at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School. His academic interests include information privacy and security, IT policy, fintech and electronic commerce. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has charmed the world. Its ability to digest and produce content such as text, images and videos presents opportunities for any industry that needs to communicate – from medicine, law and finance to the creative arts, architecture and biochemical sciences. US research suggests large language models (LLM) could affect at least 10 per cent of tasks for most of the workforce and at least 50 per cent for some. Accordingly, LLM and generative AI are tipped to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3292505/hong-kong-should-focus-finding-compelling-uses-generative-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3292505/hong-kong-should-focus-finding-compelling-uses-generative-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:30:07 +0000 Generative artificial intelligence, especially OpenAI’s implementation of ChatGPT, has opened up new possibilities for the creation of intelligent content. In fact, AI-generated content is so good that it reads almost as if it was written by a human being. For example, a study by researchers from US universities published in May found that when answering random patient questions from a social media platform, ChatGPT outperformed physicians in terms of both quality of information and empathy. And... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248614/should-we-let-ai-take-over-mundane-work-not-so-fast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248614/should-we-let-ai-take-over-mundane-work-not-so-fast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:30:17 +0000 Hong Kong has been experiencing a surge in scams. Last year, scam cases rose by 45 per cent to almost 28,000. Most were conducted over the internet, and victims suffered losses totalling HK$4.8 billion (US$612 million). Internet scams are easy to set up. Recently, someone impersonated me, emailing my colleagues at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to ask for their WhatsApp phone numbers “for easier communication”. While many knew it was a scam, some fell for it and sent their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213510/surge-online-scams-hong-kong-calls-practical-prevention-raising-public-awareness-not-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213510/surge-online-scams-hong-kong-calls-practical-prevention-raising-public-awareness-not-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:15:09 +0000 A friend recently paid a 5 per cent deposit on an upscale apartment on Hong Kong Island. To his horror, his lawyer later informed him that the title to the property had been assigned to the seller by a court in a matrimonial case. For such properties, where the title is unclear, banks are reluctant to extend mortgages. Our friend did check with the Land Registry before paying the deposit. All he saw regarding the seller’s title was the word “Assignment”. Nothing more. In Hong Kong, it is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3127003/why-hasnt-hong-kong-updated-its-antiquated-property-title-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3127003/why-hasnt-hong-kong-updated-its-antiquated-property-title-system?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Mar 2021 00:45:13 +0000 Covid-19 has thrown the world economy into turmoil. Hong Kong’s gross domestic product dropped 8.9 per cent on a year on year basis in the first quarter, the largest decline on record. Many businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy because of social isolation and travel restrictions. This includes companies in, for example, the air travel, food and beverage, and even education sectors. Not surprisingly, workers are frustrated and consumers are discontented when many paid activities are cancelled... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085085/coronavirus-pandemic-decimates-economies-worldwide-we-all-need-make?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085085/coronavirus-pandemic-decimates-economies-worldwide-we-all-need-make?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2020 01:30:15 +0000 Other than in public health, the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the problems of the digital divide in our society. The coronavirus is highly infectious and more lethal than the common flu. As of March 26, it has infected more than 430,000 people worldwide, with over 20,000 deaths. Many nations and cities have ground to a halt, with students sent home to attend classes online. The quality of education received through online classes depends very much on the home environment, computing equipment,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076954/hong-kong-must-address-deeper-digital-inequalities-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076954/hong-kong-must-address-deeper-digital-inequalities-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 22:00:16 +0000 Data security and privacy have hit the headlines again. Cathay Pacific has suffered a massive data breach leading to the potential compromise of 9.4 million customers’ records. Earlier this year, British Airways disclosed that the payment card data of 244,000 customers had been compromised. Last week, it added another 185,000 to the total number affected. Separately, fraud cases have occurred in the use of electronic direct debit authorisation (eDDA), a value-added service of the faster payment... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2170820/after-cathay-pacifics-debacle-companies-must-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2170820/after-cathay-pacifics-debacle-companies-must-get?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Oct 2018 07:00:45 +0000 Kai-Lung Hui Kai-Lung Hui The Chinese government has banned initial coin offering (ICO) and blocked all websites related to cryptocurrency exchange and trading. The South Korean government stopped domestic companies from participating in ICO last September. The Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong has warned local cryptocurrency exchanges that it would not tolerate listings of digital currencies that are structured like “securities” or “futures”. The situation now is similar to the dot-com boom (and subsequent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133017/regulation-welcome-dont-block-blockchain-entirely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133017/regulation-welcome-dont-block-blockchain-entirely?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Feb 2018 07:58:21 +0000 The latest ransomware attack sent the world into turmoil this week. Malicious software called WannaCry infected more than 200,000 computers worldwide, locking out users unless they paid a ransom in bitcoins to the attackers. Some of these locked computers are used in hospitals, petrol stations, schools and power companies. Most IT security specialists advise victims not to pay such ransoms, but some organisations may feel they have no choice. After all, peoples’ lives could be in danger if,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2094656/wannacry-ransomware-attack-shows-wisdom-having-offline-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2094656/wannacry-ransomware-attack-shows-wisdom-having-offline-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 May 2017 03:24:19 +0000 The impact of telemarketing calls has once again aroused public attention. The latest survey commissioned by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau shows that 96 per cent of respondents consider such calls a nuisance. Only 20 per cent listen to the content of the calls, down from 46 per cent in 2008. The effectiveness has dropped to 10 per cent from 21 per cent. These results echo those of a similar survey conducted by the privacy commissioner’s office in 2014. Cold calls are not only a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1935848/time-hong-kong-stop-nuisance-calls-protect-public-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1935848/time-hong-kong-stop-nuisance-calls-protect-public-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2016 03:51:58 +0000 The latest public opinion survey commissioned by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data shows that consumers are reacting negatively to person-to-person direct marketing calls. Compared with a similar survey in 2008, more consumers are receiving such calls and in higher frequency. An overwhelmingly large proportion of consumers think that the calls had caused inconvenience and wasted their time. These findings are hardly surprising. With the introduction of do-not-call... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1569342/marketers-stand-benefit-curbs-cold-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1569342/marketers-stand-benefit-curbs-cold-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:08:26 +0000 Universities in Hong Kong are reportedly admitting a significant number of local students who do not take the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination. These students, who take the International Baccalaureate diploma or General Certificate of Examination syllabus instead, mostly study in international schools. Many come from upper-middle-class families. Why would the universities want to admit more of these students? Some admission officers say they are of equal or better quality... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1379682/broaden-hong-kong-education-more-well-rounded-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1379682/broaden-hong-kong-education-more-well-rounded-students?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:00:30 +0000 The recent action against the mobile app Do No Evil highlights the limitations of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. The privacy commissioner's office advocated the privacy risk of compiling bankruptcy and litigation records. But what about other practices? For example, many property brokers upload residential transaction records, including the sales amount, obtained from the Land Registry, for public viewing. This data does not contain personal identification. However, does this service... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1298124/privacy-best-served-clear-rules-reuse-public-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1298124/privacy-best-served-clear-rules-reuse-public-data?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000