What then is AI,
when peeled to its core?

Miss Winnie Yip of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Distinguished Speakers, Dr Ooi, Ms Lynn Yau and other AFTEC members, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I feel honoured to be invited by AFTEC to say something at the start of the Knowledge Exchange 2026.

The Knowledge Exchange, I am sure, will be most enriching, inspiring us to probe more intensively and extensively than before into what Artificial Intelligence (AI in short) means for us, for education and for arts and culture. Warm congrats, AFTEC, on being able to attract such a distinguished speaker line-up!

AI has become a catchphrase in recent years. So mystified and adored that it has taken on an omniscient and omnipotent flavour. What then is AI, when peeled to its core? No more than an interplay of data, algorithms and computing power.

Data is existing knowledge. Algorithms are formulae; juggling data to give us what we ask. Computing power generates speed, not out of nothing, but through devouring electricity, lots and lots of it. By volume, scale and speed, AI exceeds any single individual. But AI is nothing without men feeding it, shaping it.

I would submit that AI compels us to be smarter learners, smarter teachers and smarter artists. By smarter, I mean more purposeful in how we learn and what to focus on. Learning key facts and concepts, having good language skills and knowing maths are still very, very important. They are not only elements of knowledge, they constitute the foundation of our existing understandings that form the basis of our analytical faculty. We call upon our existing understandings to digest and assimilate new subjects that come our way. Over time, new subjects become integrated into existing understandings. Knowledge and analytical power henceforth grow, generating occasionally new discoveries and new perspectives that we often refer to as creativity.

To master AI, we need to ask the right questions, many a time, a series of follow up questions and on a number of AI platforms too. We need to have the language and thinking skills to formulate precise questions. We can never match AI in data retention power. So rote learning should not be the focus. Instead, deep thinking and associative thinking is. By deep thinking, I mean delving into the fundamentals, the concept pillars of important issues. By associative thinking, I mean the ability to think laterally, to draw in related areas of knowledge to analyse in context what AI has given us. Only then can we reduce the risk of being manipulated by algorithms that select, interpret and arrange data in a less than balanced manner, deliberately or inadvertently due to various limitations on the part of the algorithm creators.

No matter how powerful AI is, AI cannot replace a community of men. The DNA of any thriving community is a complex and coordinated interplay of diverse expertise, roles and relationships among men. I emphasise, a community of men, not machines! So being able to work in teams and to feel for one another in an authentic manner is critically important. Education must go beyond textbooks, data and algorithm. It needs to forge the DNA that enables individuals to become a cohesive whole that we call a community. Here, arts and culture is uniquely placed to rise to the challenge. Through plays, poetry, music, dance, novels, etc., we touch the souls and emotions of people across time and across cultures. Their emotions are their reactions to their times and circumstances. Through contextualised appreciation, we are better able to step into the shoes of other people. The reflective understandings so engendered sharpens more than just our affective, emotional domain. They also enhance our discerning and associative thinking capacity.

Every genre of arts and culture is precious and has its own appeal. Speaking personally, I find the theatre one of the most, if not the most, embracing form, able to provide a platform for speech, dance, poetry, music, solo as well as team performance, light and sound effects as well as design of stage and costume… That’s why I chose drama and that’s how I came to know Dr Ooi.

Thank you again, AFTEC, for organising this meaningful event. Thank you, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, for your generous sponsorship. Our appreciation also goes to the distinguished speakers as they are the jewels of the Knowledge Exchange. To those travelling from afar, I hope that you can find time to explore Hong Kong, its food, its city, its countryside, its arts and culture.

A nice day to you all! Thank you.

Mrs Cherry Tse, GBS, JP
Executive Vice-President (Administration and Finance) of The University of Hong Kong