Conference on Digital Innovation and Transformation in the Age of AI

The Workshop on AI in Business was successfully held on July 12, 2024, at HKU-iCube. Hosted by the HKU Business School’s Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation (IDEI) and the Area of Innovation and Information Management (IIM), the event brought together over 50 researchers, professionals, and industry experts. Participants engaged in discussions on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in digital innovation and transformation within the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Professor Yulin Fang, IDEI Director and Professor of Innovation and Information Management at HKU Business School, welcomed attendees with remarks highlighting the conference’s aim to offer valuable insights and strategies for navigating digital transformation complexities and leveraging AI for sustainable growth and success in today’s dynamic business environment.

Professor Dongjun (D. J.) Wu, the Ernest Scheller Jr. Chair and Professor of Information Technology Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Department Editor of Management Science, delivered an insightful speech titled “Endless Digital Business Model Innovation.” Professor Rajiv Kohli, the John N. Dalton Professor of Business at the College of William & Mary and Senior Editor of Information Systems Research, explored the multifaceted impacts of AI on digital innovation in his presentation titled “Digital Innovation with AI: Human, Organizational and Legal Issues.” Juan (Jane) Feng, the Hon Hai Chair Professor at Tsinghua University and Senior Editor of Information Systems Research, addressed the limitations and challenges of federated learning in promoting data collaboration across firms with her speech “Is Technology Panacea? Why Federated Learning Does Not Necessarily Lead to Inter-Firm Data Collaboration.”

Professor Jianliang (Leon) Zhao, the Presidential Chair Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Co-Head of Information Systems and Operations Management, and Director of the Center on Blockchain and Intelligent Technology, offered a comprehensive analysis on blockchains through his speech “Optimization of Collective Incentive Mechanism in Public Permissioned Blockchains: A Multi-Method Perspective.” Professor Zhenhui (Jack) Jiang, the Padma and Hari Harilela Professor in Strategic Information Management at the University of Hong Kong, discussed the nuances and challenges of evaluating large language models in his presentation titled “Large Language Model Assessment in Chinese and English Contexts.”

Professor Wonseok Oh, the K.C.B. Chair Professor of Information Systems at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Senior Editor of Information Systems Research, highlighted the transformative potential of AI in the publishing industry with his speech “Bestseller Prediction in E-Book Markets: Leveraging Consumption Patterns with Machine Learning.” Lastly, Professor Xi Li, Professor in Marketing at the University of Hong Kong, Director of the Asia Case Research Center, and Associate Director of the Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation, emphasized the significance of historical pricing data for understanding and predicting market trends in his speech titled “Learning from Historical Prices.

Throughout the day, the sessions were chaired by esteemed academics, including Prof. Yulin Fang, IDEI Director; Prof. Junhong Chu, CIE Associate Director; Prof. Michael Chau, Deputy Area Head of IIM and Prof. Hailiang Assistant Dean Professor in IIM. Their insightful sharing and guidance stimulated and engaged the audience with innovative ideas.

The diverse range of topics and expert perspectives provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the current and future landscape of digital innovation.