The officiating guests and the 12 speakers at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2022 - Hong Kong Branch pose for a photo at the Charles K Kao Auditorium of the Hong Kong Science Park in Sha Tin on Sept 1, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
As artificial intelligence technology reshapes the traditional manufacturing industry, market players should move with the times and use innovation and technology to introduce new economic dynamics and tackle unexpected challenges.
Officials and experts made the point at the first day of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2022 in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Along with the main conference taking place in Shanghai, the Hong Kong branch of the WAIC 2022 was held concurrently at the Hong Kong Science Park, bringing together influential academics, unicorn founders and government officials to exchange views on AI innovation and the multiverse.
Titled “Intelligent Connectivity, Infinite Multiverse”, the three-day world-class AI conference aims to demonstrate the new core technology, industrial track and future scene in the field of artificial intelligence and the metaverse. The Hong Kong remote event was only on Thursday.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that the common goal of the SAR government and the community is to give full play to Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and facing the world
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Speaking through a prerecorded video, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu highlighted the significant role of I&T both in introducing new economic drivers and responding to unexpected challenges in the wider environment.
“The world is in an era where innovation and technology are the engines. The application of scientific data to analyze and accurately identify people at different levels of risk is critical to controlling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the well-being of people,” Lee said.
The National 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) has established the goal of building the country into a self-reliant technological and manufacturing powerhouse, and explicitly supports the development of Hong Kong into an international center for innovation and technology, which brings historic I&T opportunities to the city.
Lee said that the common goal of the SAR government and the community is to give full play to Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and facing the world, to enhance the technological momentum of Hong Kong’s development, and to address the livelihood issues that are of great concern.
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Also speaking was Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corp CEO Albert Wong Hak-keung, who said, “The pandemic in the past two years has led to the rapid development of AI in different industries, including healthcare, transportation, customer service, etc.”
He added: “The intertwining of AI and the digital economy is leading the world into a new era. AI is becoming an integral key behind the biggest part of today’s hot topics, including smart cities, financial technology, and the metaverse.”
Taking Hong Kong as an example, Wong said a study pointed out that more than 40 percent of local enterprises have already started to apply AI in business and enhance their competitiveness through the application of AI technology.
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, Lillian Cheong Man-lei, undersecretary for innovation, technology and industry, said that the SAR government has kept technology development a top priority and has been making efforts to create an enabling environment for applied research and technology startups.
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She said that the SAR government will establish clear development plans and targets for Hong Kong's I&T development over the next five to 10 years, continue to enhance the I&T ecosystem and enrich the talent pool with a result-oriented approach.
The WAIC is a world-class conference on artificial intelligence. It is organized by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.
Apart from Shanghai and Hong Kong, the conference also has four subvenues, in North America, Europe, Singapore and South Korea.
