Five AI Learnings from AWS TechFest Hong Kong 2025

Despite the promising potential of agentic AI, one of the main constraints is the rising cost of vector storage, which prompted AWS to release Amazon S3 Vectors for preview earlier in July. Designed for applications that need to build vector indexes at scale, this first cloud object store lowers 90% total cost of ownership. The platform also launched AI Agents and Tools in AWS Marketplace, allowing customers to fast-track initiatives through a one-stop shop to discover, buy, deploy, and manage solutions from all providers.

3. Innovation should always be experience-driven

Patrick Hui, General Manager at IBM Consulting Hong Kong, shared a practical use case of AI during the Wimbledon tournament to boost fan engagement. Generating seven million data points in total, the global tennis match is one of the most data intensive events. With the help of technology, exciting highlights were pulled immediately based on AI suggestions, effectively accelerating time to insight. By turning raw data into real-time digital experiences, 100 million media coverage were delivered as a result, capturing the most exciting moments for those at home.

On the other hand, Anthony Buchanan, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Sun Life Hong Kong Limited, shared remarkable results of the company’s AI chatbot ‘Advisor Buddy’. Chatbots are certainly nothing new, but this new tool for financial advisors understood and supported trilingual mixed language, achieving immediate results with an adoption rate of over 50% in just one month. By identifying user pain points and curating targeted solutions, the ‘Advisor Buddy’ became a resounding success across the company and has already handled more than 6,000 queries.

4. Taking the long term view

Another long-standing partner of AWS, Aldric Chau, General Manager of Digital at Cathay, started the session highlighting AWS’s role in helping the airline close the gap in return on investment for AI initiatives, reaping HK$100 million revenue through the 90+ AI models developed through Amazon SageMaker. More importantly, he noted that agentic AI was a completely new game field. Therefore, it is important to focus on building a long term strategy to realise the full potential and create impact through business transformation.

One key success factor for Cathay’s AI approach is the people: with over 30,000 staff across digital and business units, the right framework is imperative to establish a united front in AI adoption. By building a collaborative AI mindset, not only has Cathay been able to relieve tensions between internal security and development teams, it has also propelled responsible AI literacy across the board, encouraging hundreds of practice leads to develop code based on their GenAI knowledge.

5. Learn by doing

It is a truth universally acknowledged that innovation happens on a continuum: just like AI models that receive new updates, companies should treat digital transformation as a life-long journey, rather than a quick-fix. The AWS TechFest made sure to go beyond expert-led conversations within the main agenda, providing abundant opportunities for technical deep dives and hands-on practice. With close to twenty interactive booths and two specialised tracks focusing on business applications and technical building available, participants could customise their event experience based on individual interests and expertise.

Another highlight was the hosting of Hong Kong's first-ever AWS AI League tournament, which served as the ultimate showdown for tech enthusiasts to learn, compete, and innovate amongst peers. Furthermore, the Demo Zone provided a chance to try out real-world applications ranging from smart home DIY companions and industrial facility tours, to loan underwriting automation and personalised marketing generators. The AI Sketch Lab was no doubt the crowd favourite as participants watched their hand-drawn characters come to life in arcade-style gameplay.

As Anderson noted in his closing remarks, AWS maintains a ‘day one culture’ mentality, which translates to treating every day like it's the first day of a business. Furthering its mission to put AI into the hands of everyone, AWS persists to lower the barrier for AI adoption, making it flexible and accessible to startups and small businesses that do not have profuse funding. As the list of potential rewards for transformative technology continues to grow, AI is far from an elementary tool, and the future belongs to those who make use of it as an intelligent business partner to achieve business goals.