LegCo Secretariat Releases Policy Pulse on "AI+: Empower Hong Kong, Innovate a Smart Future," Accelerating Development for Economic and Social Empowerment

LegCo Secretariat releases Policy Pulse on "AI+: Empower Hong Kong, Innovate a smart future"

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

The Outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly calls for empowering economic and social development through artificial intelligence (AI). The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has also incorporated the proactive advancement of the "AI+" strategy into the consultation document for Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, ensuring that AI development is "running fast" and "running steadily".

The Legislative Council, Photo by Bastille Post

The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat today (August 21) released the latest issue of the Policy Pulse on "AI+: Empower Hong Kong, Innovate a smart future", which provides an overview of Hong Kong's policy initiatives on "AI+", covering empowering industrial development and construction of a digital government through AI, expanding AI application scenarios through embodied AI, establishing a robust AI governance framework, promoting AI training for all, and deepening the collaborative mechanism between Hong Kong and the Mainland. It also summarizes the relevant suggestions of Members. This issue of the Policy Pulse also features a new "One-Tap Audio" function. Members of the public can choose to listen to the entire issue, selected sections or a summary of the Policy Pulse through an AI voice, so as to stay updated on the latest LegCo information in a flexible way.

This issue of the Policy Pulse details how Hong Kong is pursuing the dual objectives of placing equal emphasis on "speed" and "steadiness" in its strategic layout for advancing AI development. The Government is now moving at full speed to advance AI infrastructure development, including accelerating the development of the Sandy Ridge Data Facility Cluster (the Cluster). It is expected that the computing power provided by the Cluster by 2032 would be equivalent to 36 times Hong Kong's current computing power. Furthermore, the Government is making every effort to strengthen cross-sector collaboration among the industry, academia and research sectors, thereby promoting transformation of research and development (R&D) outcomes, and fostering wide application of AI technology in various industries. Meanwhile, the Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy, which was announced in the Budget this year, was established in June. It will initially focus on the application strategies in sectors such as embodied AI as well as life and health technology. International rankings have also confirmed that Hong Kong is "running fast": ranked third in the Global AI Competitiveness Index and climbed to fourth globally in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking.

Concurrently, Members have been offering recommendations to further accelerate the development of AI, suggesting that the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute (AIRDI), which will come into operation in the second half of this year, should strengthen co-ordination efforts regarding the division of work and integration of resources among universities and local R&D institutions; and foster collaboration with the Mainland in areas such as standard certification and data flow, so as to align with the national "AI+" strategy. Members also suggest establishing a cross-boundary computing power sharing mechanism. As to empowering smart governance via AI, Members urge the Administration to expand the application of the Digital Document function on "iAM Smart" and integrate mobile applications of different government departments to realize "single portal for online government services".

The Legislative Council, Photo source: AP News

To "run steadily", the Government has launched the "AI for All" Inclusive Programme to comprehensively enhance digital literacy across society. It also regularly reviews AI risks, its safe application and governance standards, and has developed a framework and guidelines to provide guidance on projects involving the development and application of AI to help identify and manage potential risks to ensure that AI development remains safe, reliable and controllable. Members are concerned over the regulation of AI-generated content, including issues of deepfake pornography, disinformation and online impersonation. They suggest the Government draw on experiences of the Mainland and other countries to study the enactment of dedicated legislation targeting AI-generated content and strengthen the regulation of online platforms.

The Policy Pulse also details how Hong Kong is deepening the collaboration with the Mainland in the field of AI, pointing out that Hong Kong, leveraging the unique advantages under "one country, two systems" and its internationalised data governance and scientific research capabilities, acts as a "super connector" and plays the role of a "super value-adder". Hong Kong also connects with the Mainland's vast computing resources and rich application scenarios, and serves as a bridgehead for "bringing in and going global" in AI technological innovation and industrial application. Members suggest that the Government collaborate with the relevant units to jointly develop an AI repository for enterprises seeking to go global, providing them with market insights and compliance guidance. They also suggest the Administration proactively strive for implementing more convenient and freer cross-boundary data flow mechanisms in the Northern Metropolis to facilitate R&D collaborations among frontier industries, such as embodied AI.

The detailed content of "AI+: Empower Hong Kong, Innovate a smart future" can be viewed or listened to on the LegCo website. The Policy Pulse, published by the Council Business Divisions of the LegCo Secretariat, covers specific topics and offers a comprehensive overview of related policy developments and relevant discussions in LegCo.

The Legislative Council, Photo source: reference image

26 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed "Twilight", a joint operation with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department codenamed "Flabbergast", a joint operation with the Hong Kong Police Force and the Labour Department codenamed "Powerplayer", and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" from August 14 to yesterday (August 20). During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD officers raided multiple target locations including restaurants, industrial buildings and flats under renovation. Eighteen suspected illegal workers, six suspected employers and two overstayers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised 12 men and six women, aged 24 to 63. Among them, six men were holding recognisance forms which prohibit them from taking any employment. Five men and one woman, aged 32 to 49, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. The arrested overstayers were two women aged 45. An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

Additionally, alongside enforcement actions, ImmD officers, along with a promotional vehicle, were deployed to distribute leaflets to the public in a newly inhabited housing estate in Fanling. The officers urged the public to stand against employing illegal workers and reminded them that customers who knowingly engage service providers using illegal workers may also be subject to criminal liability.

An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."

The spokesman warned, "As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years.”

The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 185 185, fax at 2824 1166, emailanti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form atwww.immd.gov.hk.

Source: AI-found images