Employees in Hong Kong are among the world’s heaviest users of AI. Most have never been trained to use it.

Nearly three in four working professionals in Hong Kong use AI at work at least weekly, but close to 60% have never received any form of AI training, according to a new study from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

The study, AI in the Workplace: Perceptions and Preparedness of Workers, was conducted by HKUST Business School between March and April 2026 and drew 3,722 valid responses through an online survey platform. More than 60% of respondents were aged between 30 and 49, and close to half worked in financial services, IT, construction and engineering, accounting and auditing, or healthcare.

Some 72.7% reported using AI daily or weekly, against a global average of 31% cited in the study. Generative AI (GenAI) was the most common application, with 81.66% using such tools daily or weekly – mainly to draft and organise documents, summarise and analyse information, and support ideation and content development.

Adoption was concentrated among business owners, professionals and managerial staff, and large enterprises were significantly further ahead than SMEs in both investment and use. The researchers linked that pattern to organisational resources and to the nature and complexity of individual roles.

Sentiment was broadly positive. Nearly 80% said AI had improved their efficiency, productivity or quality of work, and most described it as changing how work is performed rather than displacing jobs outright. Confidence was uneven across seniority, however. More than half of junior employees said they were concerned AI could reduce the value of their existing skills, and around 40% reported a weaker sense of job security.

Appetite for skills development outstrips provision. More than 70% said they wanted to build AI-related capabilities, while nearly 60% had never received AI training of any kind.

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“The findings suggest that Hong Kong workplaces are entering a new phase of AI adoption, where AI is increasingly becoming part of employees’ daily work rather than an emerging technology on the horizon,” said Professor Tam Kar-Yan, HKUST Vice-President for Administration and Business, who led the study. He noted that employees hold optimism and concern simultaneously, recognising gains in productivity and work quality while worrying about skills becoming outdated.

Nearly 60% of respondents said AI-driven workplace transformation had either already begun or would arrive within the next five years, which Professor Tam said made the shift a present reality rather than a future consideration.

The findings land as Hong Kong pursues the “AI+” agenda set out in the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, which centres on accelerating AI industrialisation and widening adoption across sectors. Advancing it, Professor Tam said, will depend not only on faster technology adoption but on ensuring no segment of the workforce is left behind.