The University of Hong Kong (HKU) celebrated a major milestone in its institution-wide AI capability-building journey at the AI Recognition Ceremony 2026 on 21 October, recognising over 30 Visionary Award recipients for their thoughtful and practical applications of artificial intelligence at work.
Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, presented the awards to the recipients and remarked, "The University is embarking on much larger AI initiatives, spearheaded by our AI Hub. If you imagine the AI Hub as an overarching roof under which we want all our AI efforts sheltered, then AI administration is one of the pillars."
Addressing the awardees, Professor Zhang added, "You are going to be the seed for the future of AI administration of this university. You are the first batch of pioneers. We want you to continue, not only on your own desk doing AI, but also tell your other colleagues how you use this, and inspire them, and bring them together. And that's the purpose of we try to build this AI admin community."
The Visionary Award recipients represented a broad cross-section of the HKU community, spanning faculties and central administrative units. They included colleagues in academic, research, technical, information technology, professional and administrative roles, reflecting the relevance of AI across different areas of the University.
The awardees were selected following the AI Innovation Challenge Day in March 2026, where over 300 colleagues applied AI tools to HKU-inspired workplace challenges involving communications, information synthesis, data handling, workflow planning, visual content creation and responsible AI use.
The Challenge Day formed part of AI for Work @HKU, the University's multi-year workplace AI learning and adoption initiative. Open to staff across HKU, AI for Work @HKU combines practical workshops, skills clinics, innovation challenges and online learning resources to help colleagues use AI safely and effectively at work. Over the past 12 months, the programme recorded over 1,200 staff attendances.
Mr Paul Choi, Director of Human Resources, said: "Last year, this program helped our colleagues understand AI and build their confidence. In the coming year, our goal is to help colleagues put that knowledge into practice."
The next phase of AI for Work @HKU will place greater emphasis on translating individual knowledge into sustainable workplace improvements. The University will continue to strengthen AI literacy and responsible use while supporting teams in identifying practical opportunities, developing AI-enabled solutions and sharing effective practices across HKU.
About AI for Work @HKU
AI for Work @HKU is the University's multi-year workplace AI learning and adoption initiative. Through practical learning, experimentation and departmental support, it helps staff use AI responsibly, improve ways of working and contribute to sustainable AI adoption across HKU.
