Cover Meet the Tatler Leadership AI Coalition, the cover stars of our October issue. From left: Bryant Lu, Tommie Lo, Kam Shing Kwang, Randy Lai, Kenny Lam, Christine Ip (Photo: Ken Leung)
Meet the Tatler Leadership AI Coalition, the cover stars of our October issue. From left: Bryant Lu, Tommie Lo, Kam Shing Kwang, Randy Lai, Kenny Lam, Christine Ip (Photo: Ken Leung)
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AI breaks new ground every week. Six Hong Kong executives—from McDonald’s to J.P. Morgan—explain to Tatler why AI literacy, humility, curiosity and “the human touch” matter more than ever
As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful, so too does uncertainty around it. Since the debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, generative AI has reached unprecedented capabilities—producing text, code, images and video with awe-inspiring speed and verisimilitude. Yet critics warn of the environmental toll of the data centres powering AI; layoffs tied to automation; potential overreliance among users; and a societal erosion of trust with the rise of deepfakes and misinformation.
Aside from the proliferation of AI-generated “slop”, on an existential level, there’s the spectre of highly advanced AI, or superintelligence, hastening the end of humanity; as we went to press, warnings to this effect sparked a consensus among AI CEOs that the pace of progress needs to be slowed lest we lose control of the technology.
Above Featuring, from left: Kam Shing Kwang, CEO, Hong Kong, and chair, North Asia, J.P. Morgan; Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation; Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong; Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface; Christine Ip, former vice-chairman, Greater China, UOB; Bryant Lu, vice-chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners, and founder and chairman, Behave (Photo: Ken Leung)
Featuring, from left: Kam Shing Kwang, CEO, Hong Kong, and chair, North Asia, J.P. Morgan; Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation; Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong; Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface; Christine Ip, former vice-chairman, Greater China, UOB; Bryant Lu, vice-chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners, and founder and chairman, Behave (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Still, people are adopting it, and Asia is leading the charge. A Microsoft report in September found nearly 19 per cent of the world’s working-age population using AI; in Hong Kong, that figure climbs to more than 70 per cent of professionals using AI tools regularly, according to an August study by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The city’s first-ever five-year plan, unveiled in mid-September, outlined the establishment of an AI and data governance system, as well as AI literacy programmes for residents. Meanwhile, non-profit organisations and private-sector leaders have driven AI literacy and training under the banner of future readiness—taking aim at the gaps in access and implementation of AI tools.
In collaboration with Preface, a Hong Kong-based tech content and training company that helps people understand and navigate technology in today’s fast-changing world, Tatler presents the AI Leadership coalition: six industry heavyweights who, thanks to Preface’s classes, are redefining what it means to lead today.
Rapid technological change has upended traditional hierarchies: now, a CEO and a secondary school student may face the same AI learning curve. By collectively championing the importance of understanding AI, these leaders are aspiring toward informed, responsible AI use—and through the process, they’re underscoring what skills are valuable, and what makes us human.
Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface
Above Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface (Photo: Ken Leung)
Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Kam Shing Kwang, CEO, Hong Kong, and chair, North Asia, J.P. Morgan
Above Kam Shing Kwang, CEO, Hong Kong, and chair, North Asia, J.P. Morgan (Photo: Ken Leung)
Kam Shing Kwang, CEO, Hong Kong, and chair, North Asia, J.P. Morgan (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation
Above Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation (Photo: Ken Leung)
Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong
Above Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong (Photo: Ken Leung)
Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Christine Ip, former vice-chairman, Greater China, UOB
Above Christine Ip, former vice-chairman, Greater China, UOB (Photo: Ken Leung)
Christine Ip, former vice-chairman, Greater China, UOB (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Bryant Lu, vice-chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners, and founder and chairman, Behave
Above Bryant Lu, vice-chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners, and founder and chairman, Behave (Photo: Ken Leung)
Bryant Lu, vice-chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners, and founder and chairman, Behave (Photo: Ken Leung)
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Credits
Editor: Cat Wang
Content Director: Tara Sobti
Creative Direction: Zoe Yau
Photography: Ken Leung
Styling: Anthony Tong
Grooming: Kit Li (Lam, Lo), Yucca Yu (Lu)
Hair: Dickson Chan (Kam, Ip, Lai)
Make-Up: Vanessa Wong (Lai), Kit Li (Kam), Yucca Yu (Ip)
Production: Carlos Hui
Photography Assistants: Sammy Lo, Michael Tang
Styling Assistants: Joey Wong, Janice Cheung
Cat Wang is an editor at Tatler Asia based in Hong Kong, where she covers business, wealth, innovation, and impact. Previously, she was a Forbes Asia reporter and assistant editor of the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list, spotlighting startups and small companies on the rise across the Asia-Pacific. She began her career as a trainee reporter at the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record. Born in New York City, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in political science.
