Sun Dong: As of the end of last year, the government approved over 1.4 billion in funding for AI-related projects, aiming to promote AI tools covering hundreds of government processes within the year

Members of the Legislative Council focused on the government's promotion of artificial intelligence applications across various industries during a meeting. The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, responded that the government has been assisting traditional advantageous industries in their digital transformation and smart upgrades through the "Innovation and Technology Fund." By the end of last year, the fund had cumulatively granted over HKD 1.4 billion in funding for AI-related projects, enhancing the competitiveness and innovation capabilities of the manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, the fund has supported over 350 AI-related projects, totaling approximately HKD 1 billion, to promote the application research and development of AI technology and technology transfer.

Sun Dong believes that "industrial AI" must be driven by market demand and application scenarios to bring Hong Kong's excellent research results into practice. The various funding programs under the "Innovation and Technology Fund" cover a wide range of needs, providing different levels of technical and financial support for different industries and stages of enterprise development, and can flexibly respond to market or enterprise demands for innovative technology (including AI), meeting the needs of technological transformation and applications across various sectors.

In addition, in response to the urgent demand from enterprises to accelerate digital transformation and make good use of AI, the government is committed to optimizing existing AI-related funding programs. For example, the "New Industrialization Funding Program" was optimized last June to accelerate project approvals and support enterprises in leveraging technology (including AI) for upgrades and transformations, having supported over 120 smart production lines to date. Furthermore, the "Digital Transformation Support Pilot Program" will also incorporate AI and cybersecurity digital solutions to encourage SMEs to apply AI to enhance competitiveness. The government is drafting the funding scope and implementation details for a new round of programs, with consultations expected to take place within this fiscal year.

He continued to state that the goal of the government's AI Efficiency Enhancement Group is to launch AI tools covering 100 government processes by 2026 and to increase that number to no less than 200 by the end of 2027; as well as to successively launch flagship AI projects in the fiscal years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, utilizing AI to assist departments in expediting the processing and approval of various licenses and applications.

Additionally, the Digital Policy Office will provide an "AI Assistant" for the "Smart Convenience" and "Digital Enterprise Identity" government cross-departmental unified electronic service platforms aimed at citizens and enterprises, respectively, to quickly answer user inquiries and provide personalized services based on user needs and data using AI. Authorities expect to gradually launch electronic service optimization measures within this year