HKUST Business School Magazine

Overcoming Challenges Wong acknowledged that while this journey sounds straightforward, there will be different challenges in transforming Hong Kong into a smart city. Nevertheless, this has never deterred the DPO from working to achieve its objectives. The DPO will continue to promote open data and data-driven innovation by expanding the open data portal, which currently has over 5,400 data sets and more than 2,200 Application Programming Interfaces available. They will also partner with universities, startups and the private sector to organize events such as hackathons and competitions to drive innovative uses of open data. Collaboration with mainland regions, such as Guangdong and Shanghai, will also be expanded to promote data literacy and cross-border innovation. A Clear Vision for the Future As Hong Kong continues its digital transformation, the Government's vision is clear. Wong stated, “Digitization can enhance government efficiency and provide more convenient and user-friendly public services. It is also conducive to social and economic development.” To further leverage emerging technologies, the Government plans to take the lead in adopting advanced technology like AI and support AI-related infrastructure development, including the setup of the AI Supercomputing Centre to meet the demand of research institutes and the industry for advanced computing power. By harnessing the power of AI, the Government aims to drive “data driven, people-centric, and outcome- based digital policy to bring greater benefits to citizens and the general public” ,Wong said. Through intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and enhanced service delivery, Hong Kong is poised to deliver a truly digitized, citizen-centric public sector that meets the evolving needs of its citizens. With just a tap, citizens can now manage everything from license renewals to bill payments, without the hassle of remembering multiple passwords or physically visiting government offices. Tony Wong Commissioner for Digital Policy, HKSAR Government Biz@HKUST 7