Weekly AI News Update (09-15 January 2026)

Weekly AI News Update (09-15 January 2026)

A think tank survey has revealed that over 90% of teachers and 95% of students in Hong Kong use AI tools daily for educational tasks. While adoption is widespread, both groups express significant concerns about the potential erosion of critical thinking and data privacy, prompting calls for the government to develop comprehensive frameworks and teacher training programmes to guide the ethical and effective integration of AI in schools. 🔗 RTHK
US education experts have warned Congress that the current lack of federal regulation and clear guardrails for AI use in schools poses significant risks, despite the Trump administration’s push for unfettered innovation. Testimony highlighted a critical gap between high usage rates—where over 85% of teachers and students use AI—and inadequate professional development and safety standards, underscoring an urgent need for shared safety protocols and accountability from technology providers to protect student data and wellbeing. 🔗 Education Week
A comprehensive report from the Brookings Institution concludes that the current risks of AI in education significantly outweigh its potential benefits. The analysis warns that AI-driven “cognitive offloading” threatens to undermine students’ writing, critical thinking, and social-emotional development, while also exacerbating equity divides. It calls for a decisive course correction built on three pillars: carefully controlling AI use (‘Prosper’), building holistic AI literacy (‘Prepare’), and implementing robust safeguards for student wellbeing and privacy (‘Protect’). 🔗 Forbes
Hong Kong has launched the 2026 WAIC UP! Global Summit to position itself as a hub for equitable and sustainable AI development. Government leaders outlined the city’s strategic investments, including expanding supercomputing capacity to 5,000 petaflops and developing new data infrastructure, while emphasising a human-centric approach to attracting global talent and shaping the future of the technology. 🔗 RTHK
Hong Kong and Shenzhen are establishing a data transfer white list to facilitate secure cross-border data flows, a key initiative to unlock collaborative opportunities in AI and fintech. The framework, prioritising transparency and trust, builds upon existing cooperation in health data sharing and is viewed as essential infrastructure for Hong Kong’s ambitions in wealth management and technological innovation. 🔗 SCMP