The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in partnership with the Forum for World Education (FWE), recently hosted a landmark two-day international summit at HKUST’s Shaw Auditorium. The HKUST-FWE Conference on AI, Technology, and Education gathered over 150 global school leaders and tech innovators under the theme “Better AI · Better Technology · Better Education · Better World” to jointly explore the latest trends in the development of AI education.
HKUST and FWE jointly created a forward-looking, cross-sector dialogue platform that breaks through traditional conference frameworks. The Summit brought together government representatives, university researchers, and EdTech executives, along with frontline primary and secondary school principals, teachers, and students, to exchange ideas and foster deeper cross-sector collaboration.
The conference commenced with a keynote address by Dr. CHOI Yuk-Lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, titled “The Power and Perils of AI for Primary and Secondary Education”. Dr. Choi evaluated the current state of AI integration in local schools, examining key successes and exploring the systemic challenges faced by school management, teachers, and students. Reaffirming the Government’s commitment to driving educational innovation through technology, she highlighted several forward-looking initiatives aimed at empowering local classrooms, including the HK$500 million “AI for Empowering Learning and Teaching Funding Programme,” the newly established AI Literacy and Competency Learning Framework, and the Digital Education Blueprint.
Welcoming the international delegation on behalf of the co-organizers, Ms. Edith SHIH, Vice-Chairperson of HKUST Council and Board Member of FWE, expressed deep satisfaction at the close collaboration. She noted that the conference established a comprehensive global platform to explore the dual effects of AI in education, share frontier insights, and jointly discuss response strategies for the rapid rise of technology. Ms. Shih emphasized that the core goal of this joint initiative was to help the academic community recognize that these digital tools extend beyond technological empowerment to encompass the ethical norms of practical application. While actively advancing technological deployment, she stressed that it is imperative to uphold academic integrity, legal compliance, and cultural responsibility to achieve a balanced development between technology and humanity. She concluded that by deepening international dialogue and fostering collaboration to transform educators’ skills, this conference advances a shared mission to fundamentally reshape the educational ecosystem in a rapidly evolving digital era and nurture the next generation of future leaders.
Highlighting the technological imperative and the university’s role as an AI pioneer in systemic deployment, Prof. GUO Yike, Provost of HKUST, added, “At HKUST, we are deeply committed to exploring how AI can enhance education in meaningful and responsible ways. We see AI not as a replacement for human capability, but as a partner in learning and discovery. Across our campus, we are rethinking how technology can drive personalized learning, free teachers’ time for creativity, and better understand student needs, while ensuring that human judgment and empathy remain at the center of education. Education is where technology meets humanity-the core value of data and innovation must always aim to stimulate human curiosity, uphold ethics, and promote inclusion.”
Reflecting on the successful outcomes of the event, Dr. Davis CHENG, President of FWE expressed, “The essence of education lies in humanistic care. To achieve a better world, we must build better education under the guidance of human wisdom and a sense of responsibility. We look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with HKUST to open a meaningful new chapter of cooperation, jointly driving optimized AI development, higher-quality technological advancement, and co-creating a better world.”
Emphasizing the broader institutional mission behind the Summit, Mr. Tony GAO Yu-Tong, President of EasyTransfer and Board Member of FWE, remarked on the long-term impact of cross-border educational initiatives: “What we are doing here is connecting generations and building the ultimate bridge between nations, cultures, and people. The process of integrating AI responsibly may take time, but we believe that a better world must be built on a foundation of international education that champions both innovation and human wisdom.”
Across its keynote lectures, interactive panel discussions, and sharing sessions, participants explored and evaluated classroom success stories and systemic bottlenecks, demonstrating how frontline educators leverage AI to enhance instructional quality and administrative efficiency. The high-level dialogues generated concrete recommendations for strategic leaders, school management, and technology innovators. In addition to outlining global best practices for teacher training, they developed relevant frameworks aimed at maximizing AI’s educational benefits while effectively mitigating long-term operational and compliance risks.
