The government on Monday launched a two-month public consultation on ways to enhance the Copyright Ordinance, to protect artificial intelligence (AI) technology development.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and Intellectual Property Department are seeking views on topics including copyright protection for AI-generated works, copyright infringement liability for AI-generated works, and the possible introduction of specific copyright exceptions.

“The rapid advancement of AI technology, particularly generative AI, has induced revolutionary impacts on diverse domains and industries, as well as a number of copyright issues, arousing worldwide concerns,” a bureau spokesman said.

"The copyright regime is an important part of the intellectual property (IP) regime. On one hand, it protects the economic rights of creators in receiving remuneration from their fruits of creativity, and on the other hand, it properly balances the legitimate interests of copyright owners and the public interest," the spokesman added.

The National 14th Five-Year Plan set out how Hong Kong should be developed into a regional intellectual property trading centre.