Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee tasked with establishing the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI (artificial intelligence).

Mr Lam emphasised that the Government must take the lead in modernising Hong Kong’s laws to create a facilitative and properly controlled legal environment for AI development in the city. He added that a prompt review is necessary to ensure Hong Kong’s legal framework remains up to date.

The proposed legal framework is expected to help the city harness AI's benefits while protecting the interests of all affected stakeholders.

Mr Lam noted that the Government must take a proactive approach to managing the risks and regulatory requirements arising from AI development.

He said it is essential to strike a balance between promoting innovation and mitigating associated risks.

Therefore, policy bureaus and departments (B/Ds) should first conduct comprehensive and thorough reviews of existing laws to identify loopholes and deficiencies, and then formulate targeted and practicable solutions that take Hong Kong's actual environment into account, Mr Lam added.

Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung, Acting Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong, Permanent Secretaries and Under Secretaries of various policy bureaus, as well as heads and representatives of other government departments attended the meeting.

The participants at the meeting discussed the purpose of the Working Group and its mode of operation under the superintendence of the Steering Committee.

The core members of the Working Group will be drawn from various B/Ds.

The role of the Department of Justice (DoJ) is to help each bureau remain focused on conducting a critical review of the areas of law under their policy responsibility.

After a preliminary study, the DoJ will co-ordinate different B/Ds during the course of the substantive review by the Working Group.

Noting that the establishment of the Working Group would be essential to address issues arising from the rapid development and use of AI, Mr Lam called on all B/Ds, including the Judiciary Administration, the Administration Wing and the Digital Policy Office, to lend their full support.  

The DoJ’s establishment of the Working Group is one of the key policy initiatives in the Policy Address.