The Hong Kong government’s Digital Policy Office announced on Thursday that it will expand the use of artificial intelligence within the 1823 public inquiry system before the end of 2024. The primary goal of this integration is to automate the transcription, summarization, and triage of incoming resident inquiries. Officials stated that by automating these routine administrative tasks, frontline staff will be able to dedicate more time to addressing complex or sensitive cases that require human intervention.

Beyond the initial rollout, the Digital Policy Office indicated that it will begin exploring the use of “agentic AI”—a more advanced form of artificial intelligence capable of performing tasks autonomously—starting in the fourth quarter of this year. The government emphasized that any further expansion of these technologies into other public departments will be conducted using a “safe and controlled approach.” While the announcement focuses on efficiency gains, the government has not yet provided specific details regarding data privacy safeguards or how the AI will handle inquiries that fall into gray areas of policy interpretation.