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The chief executive’s latest policy address proposes to set up an “AI City Brain”, an integrated management system that links and consolidates relevant big data collected by departments with city governance matters. I strongly welcome this. With extreme weather becoming more frequent, the risk of major incidents rising and public expectations for efficient services increasing, Hong Kong needs a central hub that can connect departmental information in real time and use artificial intelligence (AI) to support decision-making, breaking down long-standing data and administrative silos.

At present, different government departments run separate systems. Even when each system works well on its own, their interfaces are often incompatible, and their data cannot be shared smoothly between departments. This prevents true coordination when it matters most. Fully connecting all departmental systems into an “AI City Brain” will require significant effort – reallocating resources, unifying technical standards, and changing interdepartmental collaboration culture. It cannot be achieved overnight.

The most practical near-term approach is therefore to build on an existing platform with a proven foundation and cross-department involvement, then upgrade and expand it step by step rather than starting from scratch.