Hong Kong’s forthcoming “AI City Brain” — an integrated city management system harnessing artificial intelligence in response to scenarios such as extreme weather and major incidents — is set to complete initial-phase construction by the first quarter of 2028, at an estimated cost of HK$200 million ($25.5 million).

Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki discussed the plans on Thursday.

Authorities also expect the system to take six to nine years to reach “full, mature” operation, Chan said, adding that it’s a projection anchored in the experience of comparable Chinese mainland city builds.

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The reveals came a day after the system’s creation was announced in the city’s first local five-year plan — which sets out the city’s long-term development trajectory — and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s latest Policy Address detailing measures for the year ahead.

“Once the AI brain is up and running, it’ll be of great help to city management — benefits residents are sure to feel,” he said. The official public service hotline (1823) and the government’s emergency-related system data connection are among first in line for going online by the third quarter of 2028, he added.

Wednesday’s Policy Address pledged a dedicated task force on the AI City Brain system, which will be chaired by Chan and made up of representatives from across the government.

Chan said the task force is eyeing a fourth-quarter launch this year, and that the system will begin by linking up the digital infrastructure of the Security Bureau’s Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre to improve cross-departmental responses to extreme weather and major incidents.

Chan said the HK$200 million will be used to integrate the computer systems of various departments, which currently operate separately, and add AI functions.

But the total budget has yet to be confirmed, with him citing uncertainty given how fast technology keeps changing.

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Chan said that the City Brain” will not be used to oversee individuals or investigate crimes, in either its functions or its goals. The City Brain is a city management tool, designed to integrate the relevant data systems that various government departments currently run on their own, he added.

The resulting synergies will allow for more accurate prediction and preemptive deployment, reducing urban-life incidents such as traffic and water pipe infrastructure failures, or flooding after extreme weather, he said.

“It helps with city management matters — traffic conditions, flooding and the like”, he said. “Residents care a great deal about these issues, as they directly affect their daily lives.”

Citing an example, he said the government’s 1823 service center regularly hears from residents about water pipe leaks, while the Water Supplies Department also keeps a system of data on high-risk leak and burst locations.

If those separate pools of data could be shared and read side by side, with AI assisting, government departments would be able to assess risk and deploy follow-up action much earlier, he said.

He also reassured the public that the AI City Brain is based on data drawn from information already collected through legal means, and that personal privacy is not at issue.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com