Planned AI ‘City Brain’ system not meant for surveillance – top Hong Kong official

A planned HK$200 million artificial intelligence (AI) “City Brain” system designed to improve urban management and emergency response is not meant for surveillance, a top Hong Kong official has said.

Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan addressed privacy concerns about the AI system at a Thursday press conference – one day after Chief Executive John Lee delivered the city’s first Five-Year Plan and the final Policy Address of his term.

The city brain “isn’t meant for surveillance,” said Chan, who is heading the task force overseeing the project, to be formed in the fourth quarter of 2026.

“It’s just about monitoring traffic and urban conditions, not monitoring individuals, crime, or catching thieves,” Chan said.

He added: “In the past, if a water pipe burst was detected, you’d wait for it to burst or get repaired. Now, it’s different. Through the city brain, this data is handed, for instance, to the Transport Department so they can deploy immediately.”

The government aims to complete the first stage of the system’s development in the first quarter of 2028. It is expected to take six to nine years before the city brain system reaches full operational capacity.

The City Brain software system was pioneered by Chinese tech giant Alibaba in Hangzhou in 2017. Since then, the urban AI has spread to cities throughout the Chinese mainland. It was also later launched in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The platform promises to centralise real-time data from a variety of sources – CCTV cameras, tracking systems, smart sensors, government databases, social media and mobile apps – and then use this information to optimise traffic lights, waste management, and other aspects of urban governance.

System integration

The digital infrastructure of the Security Bureau’s Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre is scheduled for integration in the first phase.

The project will also prioritise integrating the Civil Engineering and Development Department’s AI Landslip Warning System, the Drainage Services Department’s AI Flood Monitoring System, the Transport Department’s Real-time Traffic Signal Adjustment System, and the Highways Department’s Flood Early Warning System.

The police force will also set up a new “Inter-departmental Major Incident Platform” to centralise real-time data from all units when handling major public incidents.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.