Chinese University Vice‑Chancellor Dennis Lo is calling on the government to increase its financial support for university development in the Northern Metropolis, saying more funding would give institutions greater certainty for future planning.

Speaking on RTHK's "On Broadcast Drive" programme, he said the Chinese University's ranking and reputation are strong, but its scale is too small.

He believes the Northern Metropolis could help the university expand.

"Right now, we're like a boutique hotel – our reputation and the work we do are very good, but our size just isn't big enough. So I think the Northern Metropolis is one way we can expand our scale," he said.

"I know the government has set aside HK$10 billion in loans for universities to build campuses [in the Northern Metropolis]. But I hope that amount can be increased – or even go beyond loans, maybe with some grants – so that we can plan more easily for the future."

Meanwhile, Lo warned that the rapid development of artificial intelligence may be stifling scientific creativity, saying that while AI is powerful, it also risks reducing human originality.

The CUHK vice chancellor said he has heard that some researchers now simply ask AI for ideas and work through a list of options until they find something.

Describing himself as an "old‑fashioned" scientist, Lo said he feels this takes the fun out of science.

"In the past, when I did research, I would think things through slowly and come up with ideas that were different from others. But in the future, if everyone just uses the same few AI tools, your imagination could be boxed in,” he warned.


Edited by Aaron Tam