Hong Kong has unveiled HKGAI V1, its first locally developed large language model (LLM), a generative AI tool created in collaboration with Chinese AI firm DeepSeek. This ChatGPT-style chatbot answers user queries in real-time, covering topics like the SAR government structure and cinema schedules, and supports Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
The launch ceremony on Tuesday saw Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, praise the project's completion in just 18 months as a significant achievement for Hong Kong's innovation and technology sector. He highlighted the collaboration with DeepSeek as an example of the "one country, two systems" principle.
Already adopted by over 70 government departments, HKGAI V1 is poised for wider release. Sun expressed hope for its future availability to both industries and citizens, envisioning its potential use by tens of millions of overseas Chinese.
Developed by the government-backed Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center, a joint-university initiative led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), HKGAI V1 represents the first localization of DeepSeek's model in the SAR. It aims to revitalize Hong Kong's AI ecosystem and will soon be open-sourced for local developers and residents.
HKUST Provost Guo Yike, head of the R&D center, stated that HKGAI V1 is expected to significantly contribute to Hong Kong's digital transformation and the global advancement of artificial intelligence.