Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday that he's set high standards for a team of officials tasked to boost artificial intelligence usage in government operations, vowing to hold underachievers accountable.

In his Policy Address on Wednesday, Lee announced the creation of the AI Efficacy Enhancement Team. It will led by Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk, with innovation minister Sun Dong and a private-sector expert serving as deputy leaders.

At a Legco question-and-answer session on the Policy Address, DAB lawmaker Starry Lee asked if key performance targets will be set for the taskforce.

The CE said he thinks performance indicators would struggle to catch up with the speed of AI development.

But he stressed that it doesn't mean he will be indifferent to the team's progress, saying he is eager to see the initiative succeed.

"There are no restrictions for the team. I only have requirements. I will ask it to submit reports to me regularly. I will probably ask the team to submit its first report within two months. I will definitely be very strict internally," he said.

"Why did I ask the Deputy Chief Secretary to take the lead? Because we are talking about cross-bureau, cross-departmental [reforms], and leadership can change a lot of things. Leaders are responsible to steer the ship, not just manage. That means if you don't do it fast enough, you will be held accountable."

Meanwhile, various lawmakers also expressed concern about safeguarding employment opportunities for local workers.

To ensure priority is given to the local workforce, companies wishing to hire waiters and junior cooks must now attempt to fill the positions locally for six weeks - up from four weeks previously - before they can look for imported labour.

Firms must also hire at least two full-time local employees for every imported worker.

Unionist lawmaker Chau Siu-chung asked if such requirements could be expanded to cover all job types under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme.

In response, Lee said waiters and junior cooks are given extra attention because they account for almost half of all imported workers.

He stressed the Labour and Welfare Bureau will "dynamically monitor" the employment situation and combat abuse of the labour importation scheme.