Hong Kong is testing its own ChatGPT-style AI tool for government employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, after OpenAI took steps to block access to its services from the city and other unsupported regions.
Key developments in Hong Kong’s AI efforts: The local government is actively pursuing the development of its own generative AI model, which could have significant implications for the city’s tech landscape and its relationship with major AI companies:
- The Hong Kong government’s innovation bureau is currently testing a ChatGPT-style tool called “document assistance application for civil servants,” developed by a local university-led research center.
- The tool is expected to be made available to the rest of the government this year, with plans to eventually offer it to the public, although its exact capabilities compared to ChatGPT remain unclear.
- This move comes after OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, took additional measures to block access to its services from Hong Kong and other regions not on its list of supported territories, without providing a clear explanation for the exclusion.
Broader context of AI development in China: The development of Hong Kong’s own AI tool is taking place against the backdrop of an intensifying AI race between China and the United States:
- China has ambitions to become the global leader in AI by 2030, with Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and Baidu already having launched their own AI chatbots, albeit subject to the country’s strict censorship rules.
- In mainland China, access to foreign AI tools like ChatGPT is generally restricted by the country’s internet firewall, although determined individuals can still bypass these limitations using virtual private networks (VPNs).
- The potential for AI models to be trained on politically sensitive content, such as the writings of Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlights the ideological parameters within which these tools are expected to operate in China.
Implications for Hong Kong’s tech landscape: The development of a local AI tool could have far-reaching consequences for Hong Kong’s technology ecosystem and its relationship with major AI companies:
- A homegrown AI model might be better equipped to address local language and regional issues specific to Hong Kong, where Cantonese is the primary language rather than Mandarin.
- However, there are concerns that a government-backed AI tool may be subject to political correctness and censorship, as evidenced by the limitations of existing Chinese AI chatbots in addressing sensitive topics like the Tiananmen Square crackdown and Hong Kong’s 2019 protests.
- The Hong Kong government’s initiative to develop its own AI tool also raises questions about the city’s ability to attract support and investment from major international AI companies, given the current geopolitical tensions and the exclusion of Hong Kong from OpenAI’s list of supported regions.
Looking ahead: As Hong Kong continues to develop its own AI capabilities, it remains to be seen how the tool will compare to leading platforms like ChatGPT and how it will navigate the complex political and ideological landscape of the region. The city’s efforts to establish itself as an AI hub will likely be shaped by its ability to balance innovation with the expectations and constraints of operating within the broader context of China’s AI ambitions and censorship policies.
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