From EdTech to AI
A decade ago, when I founded my first company, the dream was to use technology to bridge gaps in opportunity. The promise of “EdTech” (Education Technology) was about access—using remote tools to bring lessons to students who might otherwise be left behind. It was a noble goal, and a necessary first step. Today, the conversation has evolved from access to adaptation, driven by the profound potential of Artificial Intelligence.
The world of learning is at a pivotal moment. The old model, often focused on rote memorization and standardized testing, is giving way to a new paradigm. AI presents an opportunity not just to digitize the old way of doing things, but to fundamentally reshape how we learn. Its true power lies not in replacing our educators, but in augmenting their capabilities, allowing for a level of personalized learning we could only dream of before.
Imagine an AI-powered platform that acts as a personal tutor for every student in Hong Kong. It could identify a student’s specific weaknesses in mathematics, providing tailored exercises until they achieve mastery, while simultaneously offering advanced materials to another student who is ready to leap ahead. This isn’t science fiction; it is the tangible potential of adaptive learning. It allows us to move towards an education system that values individual progress over uniform pacing.
However, for Hong Kong to truly thrive, our students must not only be users of AI, but also its creators and ethical guides. Our focus must therefore be twofold: using AI to deliver personalized education, and teaching AI literacy and ethics within the curriculum. We need to nurture a generation that understands how to build with these tools, how to question their outputs, and how to apply them to solve real-world problems. This is how we cultivate the “entrepreneurial mindset” that is so crucial for the future.
Ultimately, the goal of technology in the classroom is deeply human. It is about freeing our brilliant teachers from administrative burdens so they can do what they do best: inspire, mentor, and ignite curiosity. It is about giving every student, regardless of their background or learning style, the tools to unlock their own unique potential.
The journey from EdTech to AI reflects the journey of our world—it is getting smaller and more connected, yet the challenges remain vast. By thoughtfully integrating these new tools, we can strive to nurture a generation in Hong Kong that is not only technologically fluent, but also creative, resilient, and ready to tell their own wonderful stories.
