The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s JC GoAI project is expected to provide over 100,000 students from 300 local schools with innovative and creative learning experiences by the 2028-29 school year by embedding artificial intelligence technology into curricula and teaching resources.
The initiative is one of the city’s latest responses to the national AI development goals outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which was approved by the National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislature, on Thursday.
The project, expected to last 4.5 years, launched a pilot phase in the second half of the 2025-26 school year, involving 90 schools. A new round will kick off this year, with the full-scale implementation beginning in September 2027.
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Jointly designed by over 40 educators and 20 subject experts, the project also aims to train about 2,200 teachers, and support over 11,000 parents through educational activities to gain a deeper insight into AI.
At a launching ceremony on Thursday, Hong Kong Education Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin emphasized the government’s commitment to improving students’ digital literacy, amid the country’s growing emphasis on digital education.
In Hong Kong, 220 secondary schools have launched pilot programs to implement AI-assisted teaching, Choi said, adding that the government has set aside HK$2 billion ($255.5 million) through the Quality Education Fund to support digital education in primary and secondary schools, and will release the Blueprint for Digital Education in Primary and Secondary Schools later this year.
The nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan calls on all sectors to make concerted efforts to advance digital intelligence, implement the “AI+” initiative, and strengthen AI’s role in scientific innovation, industrial development, cultural enrichment, livelihood security and social governance.
The plan aims to secure a leading edge in AI industrial applications and empower thousands of industries.
Daniel Lai, project director of JC GoAI, said the project includes AI teaching and learning resources, in-person and online workshops, study trips and exchanges, as well as student enrichment activities.
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The project also engages parents through parent-child workshops and seminars to build shared understanding and community support, Lai added.
Keric Lee Wai-ming, vice principal of SKH Yuen Chen Maun Chen Jubilee Primary School in Tai Po, one of the participating schools, said his school has progressively applied AI to classes over the past few years, and found that AI has elevated students’ autonomy in learning.
Beyond providing answers, this project uses AI to ask questions and stimulate students’ deeper thinking, he said.
The ceremony also showcased innovative projects developed by participating schools. They included a smart healthcare app that integrates AI with traditional Chinese medicine principles to analyze health data, developed by Ling To Catholic Primary School in Ho Man Tin.
Another project, AI TV Show from the Buddhist Sum Heung Lam Memorial College in Tuen Mun, produces programs on science and national security education. The school also developed an image-generation project that allows senior couples to generate wedding photos in their ideal locations, helping them make up for missed moments.
Contact the writers at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
