https://www.scmp.com/rss/521974/feed The latest news and top stories on the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. A prominent Hong Kong-based governmental body, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau is dedicated to formulating holistic policies and expediting the development of innovation, technology and related industries. Its main areas of focus include promoting "new industrialisation", fostering a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem and developing Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T), intellectual property and investment promotion departments will receive budget increases of at least 10 per cent in the coming financial year, even as the government moves to curb recurrent spending, while the environmental branch and public broadcaster face sharp cuts of 70 and 28 per cent, respectively. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will expand its civil service workforce by 16 per cent in 2026-27 – the largest increase among all departments –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3344722/which-hong-kong-government-departments-get-budget-boosts-while-others-face-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3344722/which-hong-kong-government-departments-get-budget-boosts-while-others-face-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:00:15 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Jeffrey Epstein committed at least US$113,000 to American scholar Ben Goertzel – known for popularising the term “artificial general intelligence” – to help him secure at least HK$8.9 million in Hong Kong government grants at a top city university, a South China Morning Post investigation has found. The almost two-decade relationship between Epstein and computer scientist Goertzel, who previously built artificial intelligence (AI) architecture at Polytechnic University (PolyU), was disclosed in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343645/epstein-funded-ai-pioneer-helped-him-get-hk89-million-hong-kong-government-grants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343645/epstein-funded-ai-pioneer-helped-him-get-hk89-million-hong-kong-government-grants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:30:22 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong could struggle with enforcing regulations on labelling artificial intelligence-generated content on social media platforms, experts have said, after mainland China rolled out a new law this week to combat misinformation, deepfakes and copyright issues. Experts told the Post that Hong Kong’s market was too small to adopt an independent set of laws to regulate the use of generative AI, but a rising number of deepfake scams and improper use of the technology reflected a growing urgency... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3324598/hong-kong-face-hurdles-enforcing-rules-labelling-ai-generated-content-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3324598/hong-kong-face-hurdles-enforcing-rules-labelling-ai-generated-content-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 12:00:14 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Hong Kong’s once sprawling and diffuse network of state-backed research labs has undergone a surgical transformation – streamlined, repurposed and laser-focused on Beijing’s strategic technology ambitions. In a move emblematic of China’s broader overhaul of its national scientific apparatus, the city has dismantled underperforming labs, rebranded legacy institutions and launched three cutting-edge facilities dedicated to quantum materials and climate resilience – all under tightened alignment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323633/how-china-streamlines-national-labs-tech-war-machines-case-study-hk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323633/how-china-streamlines-national-labs-tech-war-machines-case-study-hk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Tech firms hoping to set foot in Hong Kong’s future innovation hub will have to honour proposed design guidelines such as retaining fish ponds when they seek official approval for their plans, the government has said. But some Town Planning Board members told a meeting on Friday that the unclear operating model for the San Tin Technopole would bring challenges to layout design and the management of ecological efforts set out in the suggested planning guidelines. Board member Jonathan Wong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3323709/firms-designs-proposed-hong-kong-tech-hub-will-have-follow-guidelines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3323709/firms-designs-proposed-hong-kong-tech-hub-will-have-follow-guidelines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:17:40 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong’s state key laboratories must ramp up research and innovation to help develop the city into a tech hub through its international connections while aligning with the national strategy to boost China’s power on the global stage, top local and Beijing officials have said. China’s tech minister attended a ceremony in Hong Kong on Monday to present plaques to the directors of the facilities, as he urged the city to support national development through innovation. “I hope the state key... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3323043/hong-kong-should-strengthen-research-drive-industrial-upgrading-zhou-ji?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3323043/hong-kong-should-strengthen-research-drive-industrial-upgrading-zhou-ji?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 07:28:29 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Betrayal was the first thought to cross the mind of a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student when she found out that a classmate, whom she had considered a friend, had used AI to depict her naked. “I felt a great sense of betrayal and was traumatised by the friendship and all the collective memories,” said the student, who has asked to be called “B”. She was not alone. More than 700 deepfake pornographic images were found on her male classmate’s computer, including AI-generated pictures of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320338/should-hong-kong-plug-legal-gaps-stamp-out-ai-generated-porn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320338/should-hong-kong-plug-legal-gaps-stamp-out-ai-generated-porn?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:30:14 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A law student at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has expressed “deep remorse” for using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create pornographic images of female classmates and has voluntarily withdrawn from an overseas academic exchange programme, according to the institution. In a statement issued on Thursday, its second within five days in response to the controversy, HKU stressed that the warning letter to the student and his formal apology were “not a closure to the case”. “The male... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3318647/hong-kong-student-warned-ai-porn-case-not-closed-despite-formal-apology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3318647/hong-kong-student-warned-ai-porn-case-not-closed-despite-formal-apology?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:28:05 +0000 Sammy Heung Sammy Heung Hong Kong universities should put more effort into instilling values and moral education among students, a minister has said, after an undergraduate was accused of using AI to generate pornographic images of his classmates and other women. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin made her remarks on Wednesday, a day after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data launched a criminal investigation into the law student, who had only received a warning from the University of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3318410/hong-kong-minister-calls-stronger-moral-education-after-ai-porn-case-hku?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3318410/hong-kong-minister-calls-stronger-moral-education-after-ai-porn-case-hku?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:19:25 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying,Emily Hung Lo Hoi-ying,Emily Hung Hong Kong should step up victim protection by outlawing deepfake pornographic content, advocates and lawmakers have said, after a university student was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate explicit images of his classmates. The Education Bureau weighed in on the case on Sunday, saying publicly funded universities had autonomy in how they managed students, while one lawmaker called on authorities to follow South Korea’s example by banning the AI-generated pornographic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318047/hong-kong-should-ban-ai-generated-porn-protect-victims-ngo-and-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318047/hong-kong-should-ban-ai-generated-porn-protect-victims-ngo-and-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:32:01 +0000