Exciting times in Hong Kong as they test their own ChatGPT-style tool.

Aiming to innovate AI technology amidst OpenAI’s access restrictions. 🌐💬

Hong Kong’s government is testing a ChatGPT-style tool for its employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, according to its innovation minister. This follows OpenAI‘s steps to block access from the city and other unsupported regions.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong mentioned on a Saturday radio show that his bureau is trialing the artificial intelligence program, which translates to “document assistance application for civil servants” in Chinese, to further enhance its capabilities. He aims to make it available to the rest of the government within the year.

The program was developed by a generative AI research and development center led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with several other universities.

Sun mentioned that the model would eventually offer features like graphics and video design. However, it is uncertain how its capabilities will compare to ChatGPT.

Sun’s bureau did not respond to questions from The Associated Press regarding the model’s functions.

Sun stated on the radio show that both industry players and the government would contribute to the model’s future development.

“Given Hong Kong’s current situation, it’s challenging to get giant companies like Microsoft and Google to fund such projects, so the government had to take the initiative,” he explained.

Beijing and Washington are competing for AI supremacy, with China aiming to become the global leader in AI by 2030.

China, including Hong Kong and neighboring Macao, is not among the “supported countries and territories” of OpenAI, one of the most renowned artificial intelligence companies.

The makers of ChatGPT have not clarified why certain regions were excluded but mentioned that accounts from these areas trying to access its services might be blocked.

A post on OpenAI’s online forum and local media reports indicated that the company informed some users via email about additional measures to block connections from unapproved regions starting July 9, without providing reasons for this action.

Like most foreign websites and applications, ChatGPT is technically unavailable in China due to the country’s firewall, which censors the internet for residents. However, determined individuals can still access it using widely available “virtual private networks” that bypass these restrictions.

Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and Baidu have launched AI models similar to ChatGPT, primarily in Chinese, for public and commercial use. However, these AI models must comply with China’s censorship rules.

In May, China’s cyberspace academy announced that an AI chatbot was being trained on President Xi Jinping’s doctrine, highlighting the ideological constraints within which Chinese AI models operate.