Happenings

(Copyright © 2020 BBC)

The Centre’s Policy for Sustainability Lab has organized the E-launch of Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business (PSLB)on November 6, 2020 (Friday). During the E-launch, 4 sustainable business leaders from SMEs shared their views on the topic “Thriving with a Sustainability Mindset in the Midst of Pandemic”, along with the first video screening featuring 9 distinguished guests’ wisdom on the theme “Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business: The Creation of Sustainable Value Chains”. Details of the event are as follows: Date: November 6, 2020 (Friday) Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Format: Online via Zoom Language: Cantonese Topic: “Thriving with a Sustainability Mindset in the Midst of Pandemic”

Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) x Centre for Civil Society and Governance, HKU Joint Roundtable, Sponsored by Facebook Join the Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) and the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at The University of Hong Kong for a virtual roundtable which will gather data privacy regulators, industry leaders, legal experts and members of civil society to discuss the role of data sharing in the post-COVID world. This roundtable will focus, in particular, on how we can strike an appropriate balance between data protection concerns and the need to share data for the benefit of society, the economy and the data ecosystem as a whole, especially in the APAC region.

“Building a Thriving Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” is a signature public event for the Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities initiated by the Social Entrepreneurship and Civic Action Lab of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong. Co-organised with Ashoka, the world’s largest working community of more than 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs, the event will be first-of-its-kind in Hong Kong, featuring interactive dialogues between the incubators and social innovators facilitating spontaneous exchange of ideas on a sustainable social entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Policy for Sustainability Lab of the Centre is pleased to launch its second Sustainability Hackathon in August 2020. It is a 4-day community incubation event to bring together a diverse range of community stakeholders to generate innovative ideas for improving rural-urban interactions in Hong Kong. Participants will propose innovative action plans, business models or product prototypes to solve real challenges in Hong Kong’s food system. Selected teams will be invited to pitch for the awards. For more details, please click here.

Facebook and the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) today announced the winners of the Ethics in AI Research Initiative for the Asia Pacific, an initiative to help support thoughtful and groundbreaking academic research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) ethics. The development of AI technologies often brings to light intricate and complex ethical questions that the industry alone cannot solve. Important research questions in the application of AI should be dealt with not only by companies building and deploying the technology, but also by independent academic research institutions. To support AI ethics research in the Asia Pacific region, Facebook partnered with CCSG and the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (esteemed co-chair of the Permanent Working Group on Ethics and Data Protection in AI of the Global Privacy Assembly) to invite request for proposals (RFP) in December 2019. This RFP aimed to support independent AI ethics research that takes local traditional knowledge and regionally diverse perspectives into account. The RFP was open to academic institutions, think tanks, and research organizations registered and operational across Asia Pacific. "The latest advancements in AI bring transformational changes to society, but at the same time an array of complex ethical questions that must be closely examined. At Facebook, we believe our understanding of AI should be informed by research conducted in open collaboration with the community. That’s why we’re keen to support independent academic research institutions in APAC to pursue interdisciplinary research in AI ethics that will enable ongoing dialogue on these important issues in the application of AI technology that has a lot of potential to benefit society and mankind,” Raina Yeung Head of Privacy and Data Policy, Engagement, APAC at Facebook “Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created substantial potential for the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To fully materialize the potential, AI’s application needs to be ethical, and effectively governed by appropriate rules and mechanisms in multiple arenas. Our Centre is pleased to collaborate with the academia, the AI industry, and the public and business sectors in this initiative to promote research and dialogue on AI ethics in the Asia Pacific region. I look forward to seeing some of the research findings of the winning projects which will inform policy deliberation and action,” Professor Wai-fung Lam Director of Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong “AI technologies are increasingly being applied to various industries to enhance business operations, and ethical issues arising from these applications, such as ethical and fair processing of personal data, must be fully addressed. Commercial and public sectors, academia, and regulatory bodies need to work together to promote a strong ethical culture when it comes to the development and application of AI systems. Besides advocating accountability and data ethics for AI, we as the co-chair of the Permanent Working Group on Ethics and Data Protection in AI of the Global Privacy Assembly also take the lead in working out practical guidance in addressing ethical and data protection issues in AI systems. We hope the winning projects will facilitate better understanding of ethics and data protection in AI, and foster regional efforts in this field,” Stephen Kai-yi Wong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong Applicants were asked to submit proposals that look into Ethics/fairness by design; Governance; and AI ethics and diversity.  More than 50 proposals were received from 12 countries and cities across the region, and shortlisted candidates were reviewed by a selection committee. The Committee, chaired by Professor Lam, and comprising professionals from diverse backgrounds, have exerted their best effort in selecting excellent proposals. The grants are awarded to 8 winners from 7 countries and cities to support their research. Researchers will have full control of the research timeline and subsequent publication of their completed research papers. A number of knowledge exchange events have been planned, including the Responsible AI Forum 2020 to be held in Munich, Germany by The Technical University of Munich and another workshop to be organized by CCSG in Hong Kong in 2021. These events aim to bring together members of interested stakeholders and the winners of this Research Initiative to discuss on the responsible use of AI. Full list of Winners of the Ethics in AI Research Initiative for the Asia Pacific: AI decisions with dignity: Promoting interactional justice perceptions Dr. Sarah Bankins, Assistant Professor Paul Formosa, Professor Deborah Richards (Macquarie University, Australia), Dr. Yannick Griep (Radboud University, Netherlands) The challenges of implementing AI ethics frameworks in the Asia Pacific Ms. Ramathi Bandaranayake, Viren Dias, Helani Galpaya, Professor Rohan Samarajiva (LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka) Culturally informed pro-social AI regulation and persuasion framework Dr. Junaid Qadir (Information Technology University of the Punjab, Pakistan), Dr. Amana Raquib (Institute of Business Administration – Karachi, Pakistan) Ethical challenges on application of AI for the aged care Dr. Bo Yan, Dr. Priscilla Song, Professor Chia-Chin Lin (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) Ethical technology assessment on AI and internet of things Dr. Melvin Jabar, Dr. Ma. Elena Chiong Javier (De La Salle University, Philippines), Mr. Jun Motomura (Meio University, Okinawa, Japan), Dr. Penchan Sherer (Mahidol University, Thailand) Operationalizing information fiduciaries for AI governance Mr. Jia Qing Yap, Ms. Jennifer Lim Wei Zhen, Mr. Josh Lee Kok Thong (eTPL.Asia, Singapore), Ong Yuan Zheng, Lenon (eTPL.Asia (LawTech.Asia)), Riyanka Roy Choudhury (eTPL.Asia (Emerging Technologies Policy Forum)), Elizaveta Shesterneva (eTPL.Asia(LawTech.Asia)) (eTPL.Asia, Singapore), Ong Yuan Zheng, Lenon (eTPL.Asia (LawTech.Asia)), Riyanka Roy Choudhury (eTPL.Asia (Emerging Technologies Policy Forum)), Elizaveta Shesterneva (eTPL.Asia(LawTech.Asia)) Respect for rights in the era of automation, using AI and robotics Ms. Emilie Pradichit (Manushya Foundation, Thailand) The uses and abuses of black box AI in emergency medicine Professor Robert Sparrow, Joshua Hatherley, Dr. Mark Howard (Monash University, Australia) Facebook and CCSG wish to thank all entities who submitted a proposal and congratulate the winners.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s greatest cities. Less well-known is that there are also 600 villages in Hong Kong, mostly in the New Territories and outlying islands. Over the decades many have been abandoned or become rundown as villagers moved overseas and young people left to seek better jobs. One of the more established ones is Lai Chi Wo, a Hakka village in a remote valley in north-eastern New Territories, has still suffered from years of neglect after many villagers gave up farming and migrated to the UK in the 1950s. As part of an ongoing project through the Policy for Sustainability Lab under the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong since 2013, a programme supported by HSBC, villagers are being encouraged to return to Lai Chi Wo to revitalise the village so that it will survive for future generations.

Lai Chi Wo! Village Fest Visit Lai Chi Wo to experience the rich and joyful village life in this December! As part of the “HSBC Rural Sustainability” Programme, the “Lai Chi Wo! Village Fest” will be held in Lai Chi Wo on two consecutive weekends in December. The festival is jointly curated by local artists and Lai Chi Wo villagers offering a variety of creative and engaging activities. Participants would experience the vibrancy of the Hakka village through five senses and rediscover the joyful nature of sustainable rural life. Let’s pledge to support urban-rural symbiosis and live a sustainable lifestyle in the year ahead!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technological developments pose intricate and complex ethical questions that the industry alone cannot answer. Important research questions in the application of AI should be dealt with not only by companies building and deploying the technology, but also by independent academic research institutions. The latter are best equipped to pursue interdisciplinary research that will benefit society. To help support rigorous and groundbreaking academic research in these areas, Facebook is collaborating with the Centre for Civil Society and Governance of The University of Hong Kong and the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (esteemed co-chair of the ICDPPC Permanent Working Group on Ethics and Data Protection in AI) to launch a Research Initiative to advance Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Asia Pacific region that takes into account different disciplinary perspectives. This line of research will also complement Facebook’s efforts that bolster independent research being done in these areas, like the TUM Institute for Ethics in AI and similar Research Awards offered in other countries and regions, such as India and Latin America. The Research Initiative, through a Request for Proposals (RFP), will result in the production of papers from academic institutions, think tanks, and research organizations registered and operational across the Asia Pacific region. Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee, and the entities whose proposals are selected will receive a research grant.