HKUST hosted the 2nd AI Film Festival (AIFF), themed "New Boundaries, New Life". The festival attracted over 1,000 submissions from nearly 80 countries and regions. It featured renowned local film director Mr. Stanley TONG as a keynote speaker and presented three thematic panel discussions led by scholars and industry experts. Prof. QU Huamin, Dean of the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS), and Prof. FU Hongbo, Acting Head of the Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), believed that rather than replacing film industry professionals, AI would instead create new career opportunities and drive industry transformation.

In an article on Chinese Mainland's rising EV exports amid energy crisis, Prof. Christine LOH Kung-Wai, Chief Development Strategist in the Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR) reckoned the Iran war had not so much created global demand for Chinese clean technology as confirmed why Chinese Mainland had spent years building the capacity. She added that Chinese clean-tech exports rose sharply because the nation already had the manufacturing scale, cost competitiveness and supply-chain depth to respond swiftly.

HKUST has established the Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions Hub under Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR) to advance biodiversity education, research, innovation, and public engagement, alongside the efforts of its My Climate Risk Hub. ENVR Head Prof. Alexis LAU stressed that biodiversity underpins the systems sustaining life and economies and should be integrated into the core curriculum. Associate Provost (Teaching & Learning) Prof. Jimmy FUNG said that biodiversity protection depends not only on scientific knowledge, but also on public understanding. ENVR Chief Development Strategist Prof. Christine LOH emphasized that cross-institutional collaboration is required for addressing biodiversity loss or climate risk. Prof. Kenneth LEUNG, Director of Sustainability/Net-Zero stated that as HKUST continues to build and renew its infrastructure, it presents an opportunity to demonstrate how we can work with nature in harmony.

In an exclusive interview with HOY TV, Prof. ZHANG Qian, Head and Chair Professor in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD), introduced an AI-powered home monitoring system designed to conveniently track lung function and acute exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The system also provides breathing training to help patients manage their condition early on.

Prof. FU Hongbo, Acting Head in the Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), has been named a member of the 2026 ACM SIGGRAPH Academy, one of the top international honors in computer graphics. This prestigious recognition underscores his fundamental contributions to sketch-based modeling and interactive 3D content creation, alongside his substantial leadership in the computer graphics community. Prof. Fu is the first scholar from a HK higher education institution to receive this honor.

A column article by Prof. Erwin HUANG, Adjunct Professor in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD), on how to cope with the arrival of the AI era. He noted that AI is making knowledge and skills far cheaper and easier to access, so the real value of people will shift toward judgment, self-awareness, and the ability to adapt.

Led by Prof. SU Hui, Chair Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Prof. ZHANG Limin, Head and Chair Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Prof. ZHAI Chengxing, Associate Professor in the Division of Emerging Interdisciplinary Areas (EMIA) and the MUSICO (Multi-Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory), a lightweight, high-resolution system designed to accurately monitor the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane at key emission sources in the global mid-to-low latitudes, was recently installed in the Tiangong Space Station aboard the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft.

Prof. Harry YANG, Assistant Professor in the Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), collaborated with Alibaba's Z-Image team, the University of California, San Diego, and CUHK to propose the D-OPSD method, enabling fast image generation AI models to learn new concepts without losing speed or quality. By applying self-distillation, the method preserves efficient image generation pathways and supports continuous learning while preventing forgetting.

Wen Wei Po featured HKUST's BSc in Innovation, Design and Technology (IDT) as part of its series on universities' STEAM programs. Beyond its core curriculum, the program emphasizes cultivating students' self-learning abilities, resilience, adaptability, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and innovative thinking. Applicants are required to present a Design and Technology Portfolio during interviews to showcase their projects and extracurricular achievements. Designed to nurture future leaders in innovation and technology, the program has become highly competitive, with an average of about 17 applicants vying for one place in 2025.

A column article by Prof. Erwin HUANG, Adjunct Professor in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD), on Tim COOK's journey of steering Apple. Prof. Huang argued that Cook’s leadership at Apple has been more important than people often realize. Instead of focusing on flashy product launches like Steve Jobs, he remarked that Cook turned Apple into a highly integrated global system built for scale, stability, and long-term growth.