Google Hong Kong Year in Search 2025: Al Tools Dominate Top Trending Keywords, From "Searching for Al" to "Searching with Al"

Google Hong Kong today announced its Year in Search 2025, compiling keywords with the highest search volume increases over the past year, offering a data-driven look back at the topics that captured the city's attention in 2025. The release includes 14 lists covering keywords, news, people, entertainment, and leisure.

Google Hong Kong today announced its Year in Search 2025. Photo source: Google

AI Tools Claim 4 of Top 10 Keywords

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools captured four spots on the "Top Trending Keywords" list, including "DeepSeek" at No. 1, followed by "Grok", "Doubao”, and "Google Gemini". This reflects a significant interest among Hong Kongers in exploring and applying various AI technologies. Meanwhile, "67", a slang term popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha globally, topped the "Top Trending Slang Terms" list.

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Local News Dominated by Weather and Public Health

The heartbreaking "Wang Fuk Court" fire in Tai Po ranked as the No. 2 Trending Keyword and topped the "Top Trending Local News" list. Weather and public health issues accounted for another three spots each on the local news list. Faced with record-breaking tropical cyclone warnings and frequent black rainstorms, Hong Kongers turned to Google for real-time, practical information on "Black Rainstorm Signal", "Severe Tropical Storm Wipha", and "Super Typhoon Ragasa" to navigate the challenges. Infectious disease information regarding "Chikungunya fever" and "Norovirus", as well as "Etomidate (space oil drug)", also drew significant concern.

Beyond local affairs, Hong Kongers kept a close watch on global dynamics. The "Top Trending Global News" covered the viral "Nanjing Sister Hong" incident, international politics such as the situation in "Iran" and "Tariff" policies, as well as natural disasters including the "Tropical Storm in the Philippines", "Earthquakes in Japan", and "Earthquakes in Thailand".

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Sports Stars and Viral Sensations Lead People Lists

From politicians and elite athletes to content creators and newsmakers, the people Hong Kongers searched for spanned a wide spectrum. Hong Kong tennis prodigy “Coleman Wong", who made local history in international tournaments, topped the "Top Trending Local People" list. Meanwhile, "Nanjing Sister Hong", who became a viral sensation, topped both the "Top Trending Global News" and "Top Trending Global People" lists.

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Kai Tak Sports Park Emerges as New Landmark for Mega Events; Nicholas Tse Takes "Double Top Spot"

In entertainment, “Nicholas Tse”, who held a solo concert in Hong Kong after a multi-year hiatus, claimed the No. 1 spot on both the "Top Trending Local Celebrities" and "Top Trending Concerts" lists. One of his classic hits, "Jade Butterfly" also ranked No. 10 on the "Top Trending Lyrics" list. International superstars “Coldplay” topped the "Top Trending Global Celebrities" list, with their concert ranking No. 10 on the concerts list. Additionally, "Golden", the theme song from a global hit animated movie, topped the "Top Trending Lyrics" list.

Notably, with the opening of the "Kai Tak Sports Park" (No. 7 on the "Top Trending Local News" list) last year, the venue has become a new landmark for mega events including music concerts. Seven out of the top ten "Top Trending Concerts" were or are to be held at this major sports infrastructure.

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Local Films Take Half of "Top Trending Movies"; "Ne Zha 2" Takes First Place

"Ne Zha 2", which ranked No. 10 on the overall keywords list, also claimed the top spot on the "Top Trending Movies" list. Local productions occupied five spots in the top ten, including the talk-of-the-town "Sons of the Neon Night" and the original local animation "Another World". "The Queen of News 2" topped the "Top Trending Dramas & Shows" list.

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Hong Kongers Search Weather for Mainland and Japan Travel; "Peach gum" Tops Recipes

"Peach gum" topped the "Top Trending Recipes" list. Interestingly, "Soups for liver health in spring" ranked third, reflecting a shift in search habits: users are tending to include multiple conditions in a single search (such as efficacy + food category) to find the desired recipe more precisely and efficiently.

The "Top Trending Outbound Destinations' Weather Forecast" list was led by "Toronto", a popular city for Hong Kong immigrants, followed by Vietnam's rising star “Phu Quoc". The list also highlighted the dual trend of traveling northbound and to Japan, with Mainland Chinese cities taking half the spots (five) and Japanese regions taking three.

Photo source: Google

Photo source: Google

Reimagining the way we search: From "Searching for AI" to "Searching with AI"

Last year, four of the top ten trending keywords in Hong Kong were related to AI tools, reflecting a keen interest in discovering and applying AI. However, trends show that people are moving beyond just "searching for AI tools" to "using AI to search".

Conversational queries unlock new discoveries

As Google Search adds and enhances AI capabilities to better understand natural language, users are asking questions in a more conversational way, just like talking to a friend. They are not just looking for a quick answer but also wanting to understand more about the world around them.

In the US, Google data shows that searches for "tell me about..." are up 70% year over year, and queries starting with "How do I..." reached an all-time high with a 25% increase from last year (2024). The latter included trending questions like "How do I know if my Labubu is real?".

Similar search patterns are also seen in Hong Kong. For instance, when a typhoon hits and people look for weather information with the help of Google Search, it's noted from the typhoon related queries that people aren't just checking for weather warnings and signals; they use Google to plan their lives with specific, practical questions like "What time will T8 be hoisted", "What tape to use for typhoons", and "How long will the typhoon last".

This curiosity extends to current affairs, with Hong Kongers asking questions like "Why is
IShowSpeed famous" to understand the context behind headlines such as his viral visit to the city.

Google has settled with Black employees who alleged systemic racial disparities in hiring, pay, and advancement in a lawsuit filed in 2022.

April Curley, a former Google employee, had sued the tech giant for racial discrimination, saying it engages in a “pattern and practice” of unfair treatment for its Black workers. The suit claimed the company steered them into lower-level and lower-paid jobs and subjected them to a hostile work environment if they speak out. Other former Google workers also joined the suit, which later received class action status.

“This case is about accountability, plain and simple,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, in a statement. “For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.”

The settlement was announced in May 2025 and granted final approval this week. Google said when the settlement was reached that it strongly disagrees with the allegations that it treated anyone improperly and remains "committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees consistently.”

The lawsuit, echoed years of complaints from Black employees at the company. That includes prominent artificial intelligence scholar Timnit Gebru, who said she was pushed out in 2020 after a dispute over a research paper examining the societal dangers of an emerging branch of artificial intelligence.

The 2022 lawsuit claimed that Mountain View, California-based Google viewed Black job candidates “through harmful racial stereotypes” and claimed that hiring managers deemed Black candidates “not ‘Googly’ enough, a plain dog whistle for race discrimination.”

In addition, according to the suit, interviewers “hazed” and undermined Black candidates and hired Black candidates into lower-paying and lower-level roles with less advancement potential based on their race and racial stereotypes.

The settlement, which does not constitute admission of liability by Google, also includes a commitment to pay equity analyses, pay transparency measures, and limits on mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes through at least August 2026, according to Crump.

FILE - Attorney Ben Crump speaks during a news conference, May 5, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)

FILE - A woman walks by a giant screen displaying the Google logo at an event at the Paris Google Lab on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)