Microsoft leaders Vasu Jakkal and Cally Chan discussed the importance of security in a successful AI transformation and shared Microsoft’s commitment to empowering every individual and organization with security.
- At the AI Tour Hong Kong, Microsoft’s leaders emphasized their dedication to AI safety and the company’s Secure Future Initiative (SFI) through insightful keynote and other sessions.
- Local customers harnessed Microsoft’s AI technologies to drive innovation and transform operations.
- The event underscored Microsoft’s empowerment of Hong Kong’s AI research in business innovation and equipping AI-ready talents to succeed in the digital era.
January 16, 2025, Hong Kong – Elevating security in a rapidly changing AI landscape is a key focus for Microsoft and that priority was highlighted throughout today’s Microsoft AI Tour in Hong Kong. The tour brings together industry leaders, tech professionals and innovators to discuss the challenges that companies are facing. While the cyber threat landscape is more complex than ever, Microsoft is dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals in Hong Kong to navigate the digital frontier securely and confidently, to uphold the state of being one of the international finance hubs.
Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Security, at Microsoft, reiterated Microsoft’s commitment to security during her keynote, highlighting that for a successful AI transformation, security must come first.
“At Microsoft, we recognize the increasing complexity of the security landscape and the challenges our customers face. Our unwavering commitment to security drives the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative, which aims to redefine the protection of our digital ecosystem. By incorporating innovative technologies like generative AI into our security framework, we are not only addressing current challenges but also proactively shaping a safer future for every individual and organization,” Jakkal says. “The responsible use of AI fosters innovation across various industries in Hong Kong, particularly in the finance sector, where AI adoption and regulation are crucial. We are dedicated to creating an environment where technology drives growth, ensuring that Hong Kong maintains its strong position as one of the global innovation hubs.”
Enhancing business security with Microsoft’s comprehensive security offerings
AI security is the cornerstone of the AI Tour 2025. The event highlights Microsoft’s commitment to rolling out robust security measures that protect AI applications and data. With Microsoft’s Security Future Initiative, the latest security protocols, risk management strategies, and best practices for ensuring the integrity and safety of AI technologies, Microsoft safeguards businesses by identifying management, threat detection, and secure operations.
Recently, new features have been rolled out on Microsoft Purview to protect and govern businesses’ data in the era of AI, and streamline compliance and operations, including the Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management, which provides visibility into data security risks and offers actionable recommendations for mitigating those risks. What’s more, new capabilities for data loss prevention allow organizations to customize policies and automate workflows to safeguard sensitive information.
Hong Kong’s commercial sector leads the way in AI adoption
Microsoft also revealed the Hong Kong data from IDC’s 2024 AI Opportunity Study: Top Five AI Trends to Watch, showcasing the incredible impact that AI has brought to the city.
Hong Kong has positioned itself as a flourishing AI hub with more policies and guidelines supporting AI use in businesses, particularly in the finance sector, which is important to maintain the city’s status as one of the international innovation hubs. The adoption of generative AI has significantly increased, from 56.3% in 2023 to 62.1% in 2024, and the financial services, manufacturing, and media and telecommunications ranked the top 3 highest industries in terms of return on investment from these innovations – an impressive USD 3.4 for every dollar invested. We are seeing more initiatives rolled out in the market to provide tailored AI tools to empower the business sector. Also, the city’s infrastructure development is fostering a favourable environment of AI growth, strengthening Hong Kong’s competitive edge in the global finance landscape.
Besides, Microsoft customers such as Link Asset Management Limited (Link) shared their insights into the AI visions within the organizations. Link is a leading real estate investor and asset manager based in Hong Kong. It manages Link Real Estate Investment Trust, the largest REIT in Asia. The company has been using generative AI and digital transformation strategies to enhance operational efficiency and improve decision-making. Link has implemented Copilot across its organization with 30% of its staff now using Copilot as well as achieving up to 90% adoption rate. One key use case is its Tenant Risk Assessment Tool, where users can prompt this tool through Copilot to generate detailed risk profiles for each tenant, by monitoring 3,000 social media and news websites daily. This tool helps Link assess tenant risks, optimize tenant portfolios, and enhance decision-making efficiency.
“We’re proud to be driving an AI-first culture at Link and this has directly boosted our overall productivity and efficiency while setting a new standard within our industry. We aspire to be a world-class real estate company, and embracing AI-driven transformation and the latest cutting-edge technology will be crucial in helping us achieve our ambitions to be a market leader and build the foundations for our long-term success,” said Henry Leung, Head of Digital Transformation, Information Technology, at Link.
Elevating the city through widespread AI research in business and upskilling initiatives
While the IDC study highlighted that the lack of specialized personnel with technical skills, like prompt engineers, data scientists, or AI modelers, is the top barrier when implementing AI in Hong Kong, Microsoft Hong Kong continues its commitment to upskilling local organizations and talents.
After four years of collaboration, Microsoft Hong Kong and the HKUST Business School announced the AI Business School 3.0 Strategic Collaboration. This initiative aims to advance AI research in business innovation, expanding our collaboration from offering AI-focused courses in post-graduate programs to innovating for AI applications in business, empowering students from post-graduate business programs with AI knowledge and best practices in AI security, governance, and ethical management through Microsoft resources. The collaboration demonstrates both parties’ efforts in promoting AI education and application in Hong Kong.
“We are thrilled to bring the AI Tour to Hong Kong with bright minds from the globe. As AI is becoming faster, cheaper and more capable, it is constantly changing the way people work. Now, it’s the time for everyone and every organization to start and become an AI-first company,” said Cally Chan, General Manager, at Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau. “While we are celebrating the advancements, we continue to nurture and upskill the next generation in Hong Kong to be future AI-ready leaders. Together, we ensure Hong Kong remains at the forefront of innovation.”
Empowering AI future through a secure foundation
For today’s business leaders, AI transformation must start with security. With Microsoft’s continuous commitment and extensive resources on security, we empower organizations to adopt AI confidently. By prioritizing security, businesses not only safeguard the organization but also unlock the full potential of AI to drive growth and efficiency. Learn more about our initiatives on the AI Tour website and join us in leading a secure AI future.
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About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
