Joephy Chan says the hotline should explore providing video interpretation in sign language, multilingual support, and dedicated services for businesses

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address were unveiled on Sept 16. This marks the first time Hong Kong has drawn up a five-year plan to set out a more systematic, long-term development strategy. It has also raised public expectations about what new steps the SAR government will take over the next five years — not only in economic development, innovation and technology, and urban development, but also in improving people’s livelihoods and enhancing governance efficiency.

Ahead of the release of the two major policy documents, Chief Executive John Lee visited Sham Shui Po, where he met residents of Un Chau Estate to listen to their views and expectations on government policies. He then visited the 1823 contact center to learn about its use of artificial intelligence in handling public enquiries, requests for assistance and complaints. The chief executive also called on the Digital Policy Office to continue improving the 1823 hotline.

The significance of the visit goes beyond simply enhancing the use of AI on the hotline. Every day, 1823 hears directly from citizens about issues closest to their daily lives —from environmental hygiene, roads and noise to building management and various government services. When residents encounter problems, 1823 is often one of the first channels they turn to for help. Today, 1823 has become a 24-hour, one-stop, cross-departmental service platform covering 23 policy bureaus and departments.

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I have long advocated reforming 1823 because I believe it should go beyond simply answering calls and referring cases. It can and should become a genuine round-the-clock, one-stop service for all the people, serving as an important window through which the government understands public sentiment and identifies issues affecting people’s daily lives.

In June last year, I raised an oral question on 1823 in the Legislative Council, sharing what I had learned from participating in the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints. What particularly caught my attention was how Beijing uses big data to identify public concerns, turning individual requests into information that can inform urban governance, and gradually moving from simply responding to complaints toward proactive governance and addressing problems before they are formally raised.

In my written questions in the Legislative Council, most recently in July this year, I proposed that the government make greater use of AI and big data to better organize, categorize and analyze the cases received by 1823. Drawing on Beijing’s experience of using its 12345 citizen service hotline to identify and address recurring public concerns, I suggested establishing mechanisms such as a “monthly issue” and a “district-specific issue” initiative. By analyzing large volumes of requests from the public, the government could identify high-frequency, recurring and long-standing problems at an earlier stage, allowing it to develop targeted solutions before they become more serious. The principle behind this proposal is that the government should not wait until residents lodge complaints before taking action. It should use the voices of the public to identify problems proactively and address them at source.

Prior to the official Legislative Council visit in July, I visited the Beijing 12345 Center in June to learn more about how the city uses a unified service platform to integrate public requests, cross-departmental coordination and data analysis. For me, what Hong Kong can learn from this experience is not simply the addition of another AI tool, but the broader governance philosophy of putting public needs first. The experience further convinced me that there is considerable room for reforming 1823 in Hong Kong.

This year’s Policy Address lays the groundwork for transforming 1823 into a platform for “prompt referral and successful resolution”. Paragraph 434 states that “a lead department will be designated to coordinate the handling of interdepartmental service requests and complaints”, with a directorate officer in each department responsible for monitoring progress. The deputy chief secretary for administration will also oversee the work. This marks a significant change from the past. When I raised an oral question on 1823 last year, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong responded in the Legislative Council, reflecting the government’s view of 1823 mainly through the lens of digitalization and AI application. Yet 1823 is much more than that. By linking public service data collected through 1823 with district governance, policymaking and improvements to public services, AI can do more than help the government respond faster; it can help the government better understand what people actually need. Placing 1823 under the deputy chief secretary for administration therefore represents a change in governing mindset and a clear step forward in strengthening district governance which is much welcomed.

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The next step: 1823 should better cater to the needs of different groups in society. I have also proposed that the government draw on the experience of Beijing’s 12345 to explore services such as video interpretation in sign language, multilingual support and dedicated services for businesses. This would make it easier for people from different backgrounds and with different needs to communicate their concerns to the government. At the same time, while 1823 will play a crucial part in helping the government set up “AI City Brain”, we must ensure the underprivileged and ethnic minorities will not be left out.

The restructuring of 1823 will not remain merely a reform of one service center. It can serve as a starting point for Hong Kong to enhance the overall effectiveness of governance. Now that the five-year plan has set out Hong Kong’s blueprint for the future, I believe people-centered governance should be an indispensable part of that blueprint, with this principle underlying the action plan enshrined in the Policy Address, I believe the government is pressing ahead in the right direction.

The author is a member of the Legislative Council and the UN Association of China.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.