Debut of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth AI Development Centre Attracts Over 40 Hong Kong Local Schools to Support the AI Education Programmes

Hong Kong, March 29, 2021 – Today, SenseTime, a world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) company, joined hands with Trumptech, a leading education technology company to announce the launch of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth AI Development Centre (GBA Youth AI Development Centre) at Hong Kong Science Park. The Centre aims to cultivate the next generation of AI specialists and strengthen the overall competitiveness of technology talents across the GBA. The launch attracted over 40 primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to support the AI education programmes. The over 3,000 ft² Centre in Hong Kong is the primary site of the GBA Youth AI Development Centre, with future plans to extend the programmes to other cities within the GBA.

Mr. Alfred Sit Wing-hang, JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr. Albert Wong Hak-keung, CEO of Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Professor WONG Kam Fai, Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK, Mr. Gary Yeung, MH, President of Smart City Consortium, attended the opening ceremony together with principals and representatives from local schools.

Mr. Gary Yeung, MH, President of Smart City Consortium, Mr. Kwok Tin Ming, CEO of Trumptech, Mr. Albert Wong Hak-keung, CEO of Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Mr. Alfred Sit Wing-hang, JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr. Shang Hailong, General Manager of SenseTime Hong Kong, Professor WONG Kam Fai, Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK (from left to right) unveiled the plaque at the opening ceremony of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth AI Development Centre.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Sit said the GBA Youth AI Development Centre will help foster students’ interests in innovation and technology (I&T) at different stages of learning through education, experience and exposure, and encourage them to pursue their career in I&T. This in turn helps nurture young talents for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.  I&T education should start early to groom the younger generation to be bold, creative and innovative. With its base in Hong Kong, the centre encourages young people to look for development in the Greater Bay Area to broaden their horizons and get better prepared for their future.

Although AI education is one of the priorities in the national education plan, primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong and other cities in the GBA have little exposure to the field until they are enrolled in relevant courses at university level. With a pressing need to deliver AI education to primary and secondary school students, the programmes developed by the GBA Youth AI Development Centre offer abundant AI educational resources that will fill a significant gap in relevant educational materials.

To prove the Three Es principle - Education, Experience, and Exposure – in developing the GBA AI and technology landscape, the programmes include three major parts:

1.   AI Campus Ambassadors: University students who are passionate about AI and education can receive AI training from the Centre free of charge and be certified as AI Campus Ambassadors to provide AI tutoring for primary and secondary school students.

2.    AI Education Programmes: The Centre will be utilised for hosting practical AI tours and workshops by SenseTime and Trumptech for primary and secondary school students. Students can experience and learn the most advanced AI theoretical and practical knowledge with the AI education products. Different levels of AI certifications will be granted to students upon the completion of certain curricula.

3.     AI Competition: The Centre aims to establish an innovative and syllabus-free training environment for programming and AI enthusiasts to come and work on challenges proposed periodically by SenseTime and Trumptech. Regular AI competitions will be held to encourage young programmers to constantly challenge themselves, providing a skills outlet for students with knowledge exchange opportunities within the GBA. The winners may be invited to national competitions or offered internship opportunities at companies such as SenseTime.

Mr. Shang Hailong, General Manager of SenseTime Hong Kong, said: “As a home-grown AI company, SenseTime believes that education is a key engine for driving future innovation in Hong Kong and other GBA cities. We are excited to partner with Trumptech to help young talents grow and improve their career prospects through AI education. The Centre will create job opportunities by hiring qualified local STEM graduates.”

Mr. Kwok Tin Ming, CEO of Trumptech, said: “Since the founding of Trumptech, we have been striving to bring the best of education to the masses. By partnering with SenseTime, a world-class AI company, we bring state-of-the-art technology services and training to secondary and primary school students of Hong Kong. This will undoubtedly expand horizons and open many doors of opportunity in the fast-evolving tech industry in the GBA.”

Following the opening ceremony, SenseTime and Trumptech demonstrated a series of fun and entertaining AI and STEM education tools, including AI educational courses, the online AI theoretical learning platform SenseStudy, and practical AI hardware toolkit SenseStorm powered by SenseTime Edu – SenseTime’s integrated education sub-brand. Trumptech invited student representatives to demonstrate the hands-on STEM solutions that facilitate entry level experience to school-based integration for in-depth learning, including robot design and coding for FIRST® LEGO® League, as well as micro:bit Hovercraft Competition and a gamified online learning platform CodeN’Sim.

Students demonstrated usage of the AI education tools to event guests and school principals/representatives.

Mr. Anthony TONG Kai Hong, BBS, Chairman of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, said: “My 50 years of experience across various posts in education has taught me the importance of innovation and keeping up-to-date with the trend. Indeed, the pace of humanity never slows down, and neither should our education. The establishment of this centre allows us to nurture the next generation of talent in Artificial Intelligence with state-of-the-art facilities, propelling the future of Hong Kong.”

Mr. Lau Chun Hung, Principal of Lok Sin Tong Yu Kan Hing Secondary School and Chairman of Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, said: “We are glad to see the launch of GBA Youth AI Development Centre fill the needs gap in STEM, AI activities and curricula, as well as qualified trainers that can inspire students and intrigue their interest in new technologies. We hope the Centre to provide an innovative platform for Hong Kong students to show their talents and build great connections through collaboration and competitions among schools in GBA and help them get ready for the future.”

Mr. Shang added: “Looking forward, we believe the Hong Kong site of the GBA Youth AI Development Centre will set a solid foundation for future AI learning and exchange activities between schools and students in different GBA cities as the pandemic eases later. We hope to work closely with different parties to bring the programmes beyond Hong Kong and contribute to fostering a comprehensive AI education ecosystem in GBA.”