July 15, 2024
Hong Kong – Hong Kong Investment Corporation, an investment company owned by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, will launch its third strategic cooperation partnership with an artificial intelligence-enabled robotics company at its AI Forum on July 19. Secretary of Finance Chen Mao-bo He said on Sunday.
HKIC's third strategic partner focuses on research into robots integrating large-scale language models. The other two partners are SmartMore, an industrial AI model generator, and BioMap, a biocomputing AI model generator.
One of the highlights of the forum will be a youth training session inviting high school students from Hong Kong, who will have the opportunity to interact with guests and the newly developed AI robot.
Cultivating the younger generation's interest in innovation and interdisciplinary capabilities is key to future tech development, Chan said in a blog post on Sunday. “We visited several AI and robotics companies and found that some of the founders majored in medicine, while others majored in engineering.”
He said the SAR government is committed to promoting the development of innovation and technology, as well as the diversification of the economic structure.
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In addition to allocating ample resources and policy support to universities and scientific research institutes, the government also attaches great importance to science awareness and education in primary and secondary schools. “In the last budget, we increased resources to encourage schools to promote science education,” he said.
According to the 2022 OECD Assessment of Learning Outcomes, Hong Kong students ranked 4th in mathematics and 7th in science among 81 countries, with their overall performance above the international average level.
Chan said that after communicating with students of different age groups, he felt that even those who are not studying physics generally have a greater understanding and interest in innovation and technology, and agree with the importance of its development.
“This year's budget has allocated more than HK$130 million (US$16.6 million) for science education in primary schools. Over the next two years, public primary schools will be able to receive subsidies of up to HK$300,000 each,” he said.
The government is focusing on promoting technological innovation in a wide range of fields, including AI, big data, life and health technology, financial technology, new energy sources and new materials.
read more: Chan: Finance and innovative technology are the path to Hong Kong's future
“We will accelerate the development of new productive forces according to local conditions. We also aim to provide quality employment options for young people so that people with different interests and abilities can develop and utilise their talents,” Chan said.
