HONG KONG, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's first embodied artificial intelligence (AI) international applications hub opened on Thursday amid the city's efforts to boost industrial use of AI.
The applications hub, launched by the Hong Kong Industrial Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Center under the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), will bring together seven partners for tech support and eight global partners for simulation scenarios to expand use of embodied AI in manufacturing, smart logistics, retail services, maintenance and public services.
The key to developing embodied AI lies in adapting the humanoids to various scenarios, said HKPC Chairman Sunny Tan. The application hub will train humanoids with simulations inspired by real-life tasks in countries and regions worldwide to help developers fast-track entry into mainland and overseas markets.
Noting that humanoids and embodied AI are disruptive tech that could spur industrial transformation, Sun Dong, secretary for innovation, technology and industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said at the opening ceremony that Hong Kong will leverage its strengths in taking technology to factories and propel new industrialization.
Following through on its AI push, the HKSAR government will invest an extra 1 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 127 million U.S. dollars) in its AI subsidy scheme and ready a 10-billion-HKD industrial fund within this year to funnel market investment into AI and humanoids, said Sun. ■
