The highly anticipated “AI for All” initiative launched at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp (HKSTP) on Tuesday with an opening focus on raising awareness of artificial intelligence among young people, while preparing them for the rapidly evolving global job market.

The launching ceremony coincided with HKSTP’s Blooming with AI: Summer Talent Fest 2026, which offers 500 internships and a series of comprehensive talent development activities.

A HK$50 million ($6.37 million) fund has been set aside in the 2026-27 Budget for the “AI for All” initiative, supported by three major technology institutions: HKSTP, which will focus on professional empowerment; Cyberport, which will work on building AI awareness among students, parents and the elderly, as well as underprivileged communities; and the Hong Kong Productivity Council, which will provide practical AI know-how for small and medium-sized enterprises, and working professionals.

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HKSTP, the first to unveil its related projects, aims to benefit more than 20,000 university students, early-career professionals, and innovators. It features a rich mix of advanced courses, application competitions, internships, and career fairs designed to turn AI knowledge into employment-ready capability.

Meeting the media after the ceremony, Sun Dong, secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said that cultivating young innovators and ensuring that AI reaches and benefits the broader community are among the key tasks for the special administrative region government.

He outlined a “general-plus-specific” strategy: A mass-media campaign will put AI on the radar of the Hong Kong public, while the “AI for All” program will dig deeper through three focused strands of “popularizing the basics”, “supporting professional empowerment”, and “practical enhancement” tailored to AI-workplace scenarios.

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Sun said that the eight-episode AI Masters Series, broadcast on free-to-air local television in May, recorded more than 1.8 million views.

He said he hopes that a broad suite of advanced classes, internships, career expos, and application contests will give Hong Kong’s young people — especially fresh university graduates — a solid grounding in AI, helping them rise to the challenges that future job markets will inevitably bring.

Sun added that he was very pleased to have seen more young students in Hong Kong now take an active interest in pursuing innovation and technology studies, while the city’s universities are doubling down on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

“The growth of the AI industry will be a key factor in the city’s future development,” Sun said.

He said that among more than 90 companies housed in the first two buildings within the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, more than four in ten are AI-related.

Additionally, Sun said that the SAR government is actively exploring the possibility of a legal regime to oversee AI-related sectors, as it drafts the city’s first local five-year plan.

HKSTP Chairwoman Cordelia Chung, said the organization is committed to grooming talent — the “ultimate driver of innovation and technology development” — and helping the city build a “deep, future-proof” reservoir of skilled professionals.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com