Author: wywinglo

On November 17, 2025, BA&BEng students in the AIHU1001 course reached a significant milestone with their Final Presentations. Tasked with developing AI project proposals that address humanities research or humanitarian challenges, seven student groups presented a diverse array of innovative solutions. Each proposal was required to include technical methodology, alignment with humanities values, and a deep consideration of ethical limits.

From leveraging AI to improve personal skills to designing systems for social equity, the projects demonstrated the students’ ability to apply their interdisciplinary training to real-world problems. The 110-minute session, which included intense Q&A rounds, tested the students’ presentation skills and their capacity to defend their technical choices under academic scrutiny. These presentations mark the culmination of a term’s hard work, reflecting the programme’s mission to cultivate visionaries who use AI to solve the most complex challenges facing humanity today.

On October 27, 2025, the BA&BEng programme hosted an intimate Welcome Session to foster a strong sense of community among its first cohort. This informal gathering provided a unique platform for new students to connect with their peers and faculty members in a relaxed setting. Accompanied by local Hong Kong snacks and refreshments, the session opened with a welcoming address that set an encouraging tone for the academic journey ahead.

Beyond the social festivities, the session served as a forum for students to discuss their academic pathways, career aspirations, and research interests with faculty mentors. Conversations ranged from adapting to university life to exploring future internship opportunities, ensuring that every student feels supported within this leading framework. By bridging the gap between students and educators, the event successfully established the foundation for a vibrant, collaborative academic environment that is central to the BA&BEng experience.

On October 25, 2025, the University of Hong Kong welcomed over 70,000 visitors to its annual Undergraduate Information Day, showcasing the “AI for Every Mind” vision. A major highlight of the event was the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science [BA&BEng]. As a global pioneer in interdisciplinary education, this five-year dual-degree programme, jointly offered by the Faculty of Arts and the School of Computing and Data Science, redefines how technology and humanity interact in the classroom. Programme Director, Associate Professor Boris Babic emphasized that the curriculum empowers students with both technical mastery and the philosophical depth required to lead in an AI-driven world.

The event featured a series of captivating open lectures that bridged theory and practice. Dr. Kangyu Wang explored the ethics of AI consciousness in his talk, “What is it like to be an AI?”, while Prof. Wu Zhenqin and Prof. Chen Yuqi demonstrated AI’s transformative roles in natural sciences and historical research. Visitors were also treated to an interactive AI photography robot, developed by a student team, which showcased the creative potential of autonomous systems.

The career prospects for our interdisciplinary students were on full display at the HKUArts Employer Connectivity Event, held on October 21, 2025, at the Arts Tech Lab. Focusing on global creative industries, the event connected our students with senior representatives and HR teams from world-leading organizations, including ByteDance, Tencent Games, etc. This networking initiative allowed students to gain direct industry insights and explore how their dual expertise in AI and the arts can be applied to the creative sector.

Intellectual rigor met spirited discussion on October 20, 2025, during the midterm debate of a course for BA&BEng students, AIHU1001. The session challenged students to consider a pressing questions in this era: “Should AI research prioritize explainability?” Organized into structured sessions, the debate required students to defend complex positions on whether the “black box” of AI should be sacrificed for performance or opened for the sake of transparency.

The debate showcased our students’ ability to synthesize technical knowledge with ethical inquiry. Participants demonstrated exceptional eloquence and critical thinking, moving beyond simple binary arguments to explore the core of AI governance and human trust. Evaluated by both faculty and peers, the event highlighted the programme’s focus on developing outstanding thinkers who can lead the public discourse on how AI should be integrated into society.