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Kathryn Giordano

Hong Kong’s technology chief has stressed the importance of preparing students amid an evolving technological landscape shaped by the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking to more than 300 head teachers and industry leaders at the third annual Hong Kong Principals’ Forum on Tuesday, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong emphasised the need to improve tech literacy to equip students for the future.
This was the first year that primary school principals were invited to the forum – previous editions included only those from secondary schools – signalling the importance of early exposure to technology in education.
The forum, titled “AI Empowerment: Enabling Schools for Tomorrow 2024”, was hosted by the South China Morning Post.

In his opening speech, Sun highlighted that AI would dictate the future landscape of education, healthcare, finance, transport and manufacturing.
“We place a high priority on nurturing innovation and technology, and [students] will need to succeed in a world increasingly driven by technology,” he said.
“Experience and exposure are the best teachers we know. Experiential learning is one of the most effective ways for students to prepare digital skills and develop an interest in Hong Kong information technology.”
After the morning session of the forum, Sun said discussions had been meaningful and inspiring, with fruitful insights on how AI could enhance both teaching and learning experiences.
Tommie Lo, founder and CEO of Preface, a Hong Kong-based tech-enabling company, called attention to the rapid changes in technology at a time when software developers released new updates every few months.
“What if we can really equip our next generation to embrace change? It’s about change management, how we create our next generation,” Lo said, calling for the education sector to nurture “change makers”.
In one panel discussion, titled “AI Evolution: Closing the GAP Between Human and Artificial Intelligence”, Microsoft national technology officer Fred Sheu stressed the need for continuous tech education.
“The keyword is you have to learn … Whether you’re a teacher, a school administrator, a principal, [or a] student, you need to master this technology. And I think that’s a big challenge,” Sheu said.

Echoing Sheu’s sentiment, Michael Yue, managing director and general manager of Google Hong Kong, said: “We are in an incredible space where [we] can also learn from the next generation as well.
“So many executives actually do reverse mentoring because we believe there’s a lot to learn from some of the up-and-coming generations as we continue to fine-tune and refine our skills.”
Yue added that AI could enhance students’ creativity and encourage them to approach problems from new angles, with generative technologies helping them “expand their thinking to [consider] even more possibilities”.
“[AI is] coming up with even more expansive ideas. I actually think it’s very complementary, and so we have to continue to work with [the technology] in a responsible way,” he said.
In her opening remarks, Post CEO Catherine So welcomed participants and said the event “aimed to facilitate connections and collaborations between educators and business leaders so that collectively we can contribute to the sustainable success of education in Hong Kong”.
The Education Bureau, Hong Kong Principals’ Institute and Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council are the forum’s founding organisations. Preface is the platinum sponsor of the event for three consecutive years.


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