New AI laws should target data governance, safety to build public confidence: experts | South China Morning Post

Experts said Hong Kong should enact laws on data governance and on underlying safety standards in order to ensure responsible AI use and build public confidence, according to a report published by the South China Morning Post. The report appears in the newspaper's law and crime section. It says the government pledged to tackle disputes or crimes involving artificial intelligence with legislation tailored to those cases. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said authorities would study new legislation to tackle cyber-enabled crimes.

The report states that a Department of Justice working group is reviewing whether existing laws adequately address liability issues from AI products. It identifies data governance and underlying safety standards as the areas experts said new legislation should target. The report also says the government's intention is to address disputes or crimes connected to the technology. It does not name specific statutes, penalties, or a timetable for legislation.

The report presents the proposals as a response to questions about liability — whether existing law is adequate when AI products cause harm — and about enforcement, describing tailored legislation as the route to handling disputes or crimes involving the technology. The experts' stated purpose for laws on data governance and safety standards is to support responsible use of AI and to build public confidence in it. The Hong Kong measures are reported as a study of new legislation, not as a bill that has been drafted or introduced. The article is titled: 'New AI laws should target data governance, safety to build public confidence: experts.'