HKUST is hosting the HKUST inaugural AI Film Festival (AIFF), the first of its kind in Greater China. Over 700 filmmakers from over 80 countries and regions have submitted their fully-AI generated artworks. The works of 35 finalists will be showcased in a screening on HKUST campus this Saturday, where the Best Film, Best Narrative, and Frontier Award will be announced. Jury panel includes five-time Oscar winner Mr. Richard TAYLOR. The Provost of HKUST, Prof. GUO Yike, stated that technology is transforming the art industry, and the AIFF is a significant milestone to support HK’s aspiration to become a global art and cultural hub. Prof. GUO Yike also said HKUST is committed to nurturing future talents who can leverage cutting-edge technologies in the art creation process. The Acting Head of Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), Prof. FU Hongbo, said they aim to foster a collaborative environment to exchange knowledge and explore the future of Art Tech. (Various media)

The HK government is mulling measures to regulate online ride-hailing services. Prof. Donald LOW, the Professor of Practice of Division of Public Policy (PPOL), made reference to Singapore, where ride-hailing platforms have already been legalized, pointing out that the legalization process in HK would be easier, and there will certainly be some "losers" in the process. (Various media)

Two HKUST students, Tommy NGAN (Year 2, Dual Degree Program in Technology & Management) and Johnny HO (Year 2, BBA in Information Systems), have clinched numerous accolades in various I&T competitions. They are poised to launch an AI-driven DSE exam preparation platform, designed to help DSE candidates to level-up their study strategies. (HK Economic Times)

A team led by Prof. Harry YANG, the Assistant Professor of Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), has developed a new, highly-efficient image generation model LightGen in collaboration with Everlyn AI and the University of Central Florida (UCF). The findings were unveiled in their paper titled "LightGen: Efficient Image Generation through Knowledge Distillation and Direct Preference Optimization". (Sina and Sina HK)

A column article by Prof. Erwin HUANG, the Adjunct Professor of Division of Integrative Systems & Design (ISD), on how to cope with the changing world in AI era. (HK Economic Times)

An article by Prof. Michael EDESESS, the Adjunct Professor of Division of Environment & Sustainability (ENVR), on US under Trump administration. (China Daily - HK)

An article by the Division of Public Policy (PPOL) student, Mr. David YU Chak-Wai, on how businesses in Hong Kong should address workplace harassment and provide a safe environment for their employees. (SCMP)

In an article on the population issue in South Korea, Prof. Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN, the Professor of Division of Public Policy (PPOL) and Division of Social Science (SOSC), was quoted as saying that he would be surprised to see a dramatic and pronounced increase over the next few years, because the policies based around childcare and financial incentives do not address some of the root causes: issues around the fragility of work, sexism and discrimination, and the high expectations of what parents have to do for children. (msn.com)

An advertorial about HKUST’s two-year Master Program in Public Policy (MPP), featuring interview of Program Co-Directors Prof. Alex HE and Dr. Marie BERNAL. They shared how the program provides comprehensive training and an 8-month policy analysis component to cultivate public policy professional. (HK01)

A collaborative research team has introduced a nitrogen-centric framework that explains the light-absorbing effects of atmospheric organic aerosols. The study was jointly led by Prof. YU Jianzhen, the Chair Professor of Department of Chemistry (CHEM) and Division of Environment & Sustainability (ENVR), Prof. FU Tzung-May, Professor of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and National Center for Applied Mathematics Shenzhen (NCAMS). The study, entitled “Nitrogen Dominates Global Atmospheric Organic Aerosol Absorption”, was published in the top-tier international journal Science. (Various media)