The Hong Kong SAR Government announced today (August 17) that the AI Efficiency Enhancement Group has finalized and facilitated the first batch of 30 efficiency improvement projects, which will be implemented in phases starting from the middle of this year.
The initial 30 projects involve 13 government departments, including 10 high-impact flagship initiatives. These projects cover areas such as vehicle licensing, sports and recreation facilities, food business permits, environmental hygiene, complaint handling, and environmental protection, all of which are closely related to the daily lives of citizens and businesses.
According to the announcement, some of these 30 projects aim to streamline the approval process for various applications or the queuing for public services, making them easier and faster, thereby enhancing the user experience. For example, by adopting AI, the approval or queuing time for certain cases could be reduced by up to 90%. Other projects focus on streamlining internal government procedures to boost work efficiency. For instance, through the application of AI technology and/or workflow reengineering, the processing time for certain tasks could be shortened from several days to just a few hours, while the time needed for case triage or analysis could be cut by half or more.
"The progress of these projects relies on the support and efforts of the departments," said Hong Kong Deputy Chief Secretary Cheung Wing-hing. "The Efficiency Enhancement Group has also established an AI project team comprising AI and data science experts from the Digital Policy Office and the Census and Statistics Department. Together with leading AI enterprises in the market, they assist departments in advancing projects in the form of AI technology partnerships, ensuring that the application of AI aligns with the actual operational needs of the departments and keeps pace with the latest developments and trends in the market's AI field."
"Our goal is to promote efficiency improvement projects in a pragmatic and rapid manner, aiming to implement them within this year and the next. The fact that these projects can be launched in a short time reflects the government's determination and execution capability in driving digital transformation."
"The first batch of projects also demonstrates the potential for cross-departmental AI application. Although different departments have different functions, many routine work scenarios share similarities, such as online booking, license applications, review and assessment, inquiry responses, and environmental monitoring. If a solution is successfully implemented in the initial department, the relevant experience, technology, and implementation model can be adapted and extended to other departments and similar business scenarios."
The Hong Kong government will continue to promote more AI applications, explore more AI use cases, and replicate and expand the successful experience of the first batch of projects. This will further enhance government operational efficiency and service quality, continuously optimize public services, and enable citizens and businesses to more tangibly feel the convenience and benefits brought by digital transformation.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2025 Policy Address the establishment of the AI Efficiency Enhancement Group, which is responsible for coordinating and guiding government departments in effectively applying AI technology in their work, studying workflow reengineering, and promoting technological innovation within departments. The group is chaired by the Hong Kong Deputy Chief Secretary, with the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry and Legislative Council Member Duncan Chiu serving as deputy chairs.