One of the key areas in which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as one of the world’s most important financial centers, excels in is artificial intelligence, especially in the non-financial sectors like health and health technology.

It has been reported that public hospitals in the SAR aim to deploy AI to identify and treat high-risk patients at an earlier stage. Dr Cheung Ngai-tseung, who heads the Hospital Authority’s information technology and health informatics unit, said he intends to incorporate artificial intelligence into clinical management systems to personalize treatment for more than 10 million patients.

According to Radio Television Hong Kong, this would include a broader application of AI and communication techniques, as well as specific intervention methods, to deal with diseases or hospital workflow.

Hospital services have been digitalized, such as having paperless patient records that allow for real-time information updates on the authority’s HA Go app, to enhance patients’ self-care abilities. AI could also be used to remind patients of specific prescriptions and laboratory results in the form of a blue elf on the screen.

It was also reported recently that a Hong Kong AI model had outperformed doctors in diagnosing eye conditions. Researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong developed VisionFM — a model that excels in diagnosing and predicting multiple ophthalmic diseases. According to a study published in the NEJM AI journal, this model matches or surpasses the diagnostic ability of intermediate-level ophthalmologists in treating 12 ocular diseases.

Furthermore, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics launched its CARES Copilot earlier in 2024 — an AI model that helps surgeons to perform various tasks, such as surgical planning and generating diagnostic reports, showcasing AI’s growing impact on medical research and practice.

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These achievements demonstrate how generative AI plays, and will continue to play, a greater role not only in medical research, but also how the SAR is leveraging AI in multiple areas and industries.

Hong Kong’s expertise in AI extends beyond the medical field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, robots were deployed to perform cleaning and sterilizing tasks in hospital wards, and deliver food and medicine to reduce human-to-human contact, while enterprises used drones to deliver medical supplies and conduct thermal imaging. The use of chatbots to share information also proved to be useful during the pandemic. WeChat (operated by Tencent Holdings) allowed people to access free online health consultation services.

The HKSAR government outlined responsible AI usage guidelines in the financial sector during the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 to address AI challenges and promote development, while emphasizing cybersecurity and intellectual property rights.

China’s AI market was projected to expand to $29.02 billion in 2023 and to $104.7 billion by 2030 at an annual growth rate of 20.12 percent. The United States still boasts the world’s largest AI market ($87.18 billion in 2023). It’s safe to expect China becoming an AI world leader by 2030, given the number of its AI companies already in operation and people working in the sector, as well as an advanced AI infrastructure and favorable government policies.

At the same time, the HKSAR can enormously benefit from the Chinese mainland’s strong AI industry, especially in its sister cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong is expected to contribute to the nation’s AI development with its pool of top talent and renowned financial services in the geopolitical landscape.

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Hong Kong’s AI market itself is projected to expand to $770 million this year and to $3.43 billion by 2030 at an annual growth rate of 28.27 percent. The city’s commitment to innovation is helping to make it an AI powerhouse, particularly in healthcare. The synergy between Hong Kong and the mainland, together with the central government’s support and closer collaboration within the Greater Bay Area, highlights the region’s potential for pioneering advancements in public health and personalized medicine.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.