Hong Kong universities should put more effort into instilling values and moral education among students, a minister has said, after an undergraduate was accused of using AI to generate pornographic images of his classmates and other women.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin made her remarks on Wednesday, a day after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data launched a criminal investigation into the law student, who had only received a warning from the University of Hong Kong.
But she said the incident, which she believed was an isolated case, would not tarnish the reputation of HKU, whose name and achievements were built on “the efforts of many generations”.
“I believe HKU has also noticed the expectations society has for universities. Universities should be held accountable in handling such behaviours in students, or in terms of curriculum and teaching,” she said.
“The development of AI has been rapid. Thus, we very much hope that universities can put more effort into strengthening the value and moral education among students.”
Choi said universities were responsible for nurturing students’ values and moral character.
