March 13, 2024
HONG KONG – Artificial intelligence (AI) applications can be a booster for Hong Kong’s ambition to raise its cultural and arts stature, as they can bridge language barriers while making creativity more appealing, said Hong Kong Baptist University President Alex Wai Ping-kong.
Speaking to China Daily on the sidelines of this year’s “two sessions”, Wai, who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, urged Hong Kong artists and creators to change their mindsets and be more open to technological applications.
The “two sessions” are seen as the nation’s most high-profile political event, comprising the annual gatherings of the National People’s Congress — China’s top legislature — and the CPPCC National Committee — the country’s top political advisory body.
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His proposal this year was made as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region pursues its goal to develop into an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange, a role for the SAR that was outlined in the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). The plan is China’s official blueprint for the 5-year period, with a set of economic and social development goals.
Wai said that the language barrier is a huge hurdle when it comes to cultural exchanges, but evolving AI applications are expected to enable barrier-free communication between people from different cultural backgrounds.
Also, museums and art exhibitions can become more engaging by adopting innovative applications powered by AI, he added.
Wai, who is also an outstanding scholar in fiber optic communications and the former deputy president and provost of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has spared no effort in furthering the development of a technology mindset in education and academia.
Since the physicist took the top job at the Baptist University — a renowned liberal arts university in Asia — one of his priorities has been to equip students in arts subjects with a technology mindset.
For Wai, the AI push in Hong Kong’s cultural and arts sector is beneficial to the country’s bid to raise its international profile.
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He cited the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which is located on the western edge of the West Kowloon Cultural District. “If visitors can enjoy the treasures there with tools like AI glasses and immerse in the historical stories behind them, they will better understand our culture.”
AI-driven tools, including chatbot ChatGPT and video-generator Sora, have wowed the world with their ability to simulate human intelligence. According to business information firm Crunchbase, global investment in AI startups reached nearly $50 billion last year, an increase of 9 percent from the $45.8 billion in funding in 2022.
“Whether you like it or not, you have to embrace it. Whoever can master the emerging technology can change the game,” Wai said.