Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on Monday announced they found that over 70 percent of workers across the SAR has adopted artificial intelligence at work – significantly higher than the global average.

The university said the global average stood at 31 percent.

Among the roughly 3,700 people it polled between March and April, more than 60 percent were aged between 30 and 49.

The institution found that about 73 percent of them used the technology on a daily or weekly basis – mainly in carrying out tasks such as drafting and organising documents, and summarising and analysing information.

The survey also showed that business owners, professionals and management personnel used AI more frequently.

Tam Kar-yan, the institution’s vice-president for administration and business noted that more than half of the junior-level employees who participated in the poll were concerned that a wider adoption of the technology could erode the value of their skills.

He noted that many respondents had never undergone relevant AI training.

“As an individual, you understand AI is coming, and you try to upskill yourself. There are tonnes of education and training materials on the web,” he said.

"But for the organisation, you have to provide training, that's specific to the role of individual within the organisation. That content may not be available on YouTube, so I think both parties need to work together.”

The government and schools also need to help the workforce to acquire practical AI skills and accelerate the adoption of the technology to advance AI+ development, he added.

Even though there is currently no data showing that the technology has reduced employment opportunities among fresh graduates, Tam expects certain job roles that overlap significantly with AI to gradually decline.


Edited by Aaron Tam