Chinese information technology company iFlytek launched Hong Kong versions of its healthcare artificial technology products on Tuesday in Cyberport, a startup incubation base in Hong Kong, at the opening ceremony of its Hong Kong branch. This marks the first major product launch in Hong Kong since iFlytek established its international headquarters in the city last year.  

iFlytek unveiled Hong Kong and international versions of its AI products for healthcare, education, multilingual conferences and daily office work, all developed based on the capabilities of SparkDesk, a large language model created by iFlytek.

At the launch event, iFlytek introduced the Hong Kong version of iFlytek Xiaoyi APP, powered by its V2.5 international SparkDesk large model. The Hong Kong version features Cantonese and English health consultation and medication advisory functions, along with practical tools tailored to the daily needs of Hong Kong residents — including symptom self-assessment, looking up drug information, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation, and health data management.

READ MORE: iFlytek unveils latest version of its LLM

During the live demo, whenever the presenter asked Xiaoyi APP questions in Cantonese or English — about parental health, personal wellness, or other topics — it responded swiftly in the same language. Like a “pocket health assistant”, it offers Hong Kong residents round-the-clock, personalized care anytime, anywhere.  

Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, president of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong, said at the ceremony that iFlytek’s cutting-edge technologies will help Hong Kong push boundaries and deliver tangible benefits to its residents through AI, as technological innovation is a vital driver for the city’s high-quality development.

By establishing its international headquarters in Hong Kong, iFlytek showed strong confidence in Hong Kong’s growth, elevating Hong Kong’s position as a hub for AI innovation, Leung added.

An intelligent speech-to-text system, developed for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council by iFlytek, has been continuously innovating since its launch in September 2023, improving the transcription accuracy from approximately 93 percent to 96 percent, Leung said.

Liu Qingfeng, chairman and founder of iFlytek, said at the ceremony that the Chinese IT company is committed to leveraging its technological strengths to empower Hong Kong’s healthcare, education and even multilingual conferences, enhancing the well-being of Hong Kong residents through AI.

READ MORE: LLMs using domestic chips need of hour

Hong Kong has complemented iFlytek’s capabilities, offering invaluable insights into the global best practices of our company, Liu said. Building on this foundation, we will use Hong Kong as a springboard to foster an ecosystem of industrial innovation, Liu added.  

Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com