Trust in a higher intelligence
Irwin King navigates an AI for education landscape for the University
14 January 2026
“Can you intentionally instruct AI to be evil?” Halfway through his interview with CUHK in Focus, Professor Irwin King Kuo-chin poses this question.
Artificial intelligence may be perfectly capable of giving wrong answers, or “hallucinating” out of randomness, but malice does not figure in its decisions. “You cannot request AI to do A and not A at the same time,” the professor says. He believes that it is ultimately humans who determine whether an AI system acts ethically, reliably, and truthfully.
Such are the words of an academic who has researched artificial intelligence for more than three decades. Professor King, from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, lists trustworthy AI, machine learning, and social computing among his areas of expertise. Naturally, he is keenly aware of the extent to which AI has permeated society and the benefits and drawbacks it brings to academia. Since taking up the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at CUHK last August, he has been dedicated to empowering students and staff with the skills and confidence needed to navigate and embrace this transformative technology for education.
Responsible use of AI
Learning how to use AI wisely lies at the centre of Professor King’s approach to education. Amidst the rapid advancement of AI, an internal survey has indicated a higher usage of AI tools among students than teachers. In academic writing, AI now possesses the ability to produce essays that convincingly mimic human expression, leading instructors to mistakenly accept machine-generated content as original student work. This has raised concerns that an over-reliance on AI may impede creativity, critical thinking, independent writing skills, and problem-solving abilities in students.
These concerns are not just theoretical. To tackle this challenge directly, the University is utilising its established expertise with the Centre for eLearning Innovation and Technology (ELITE), directed by Professor King. The Centre focuses on enhancing e-learning and developing various educational technologies, including VeriGuide, the University’s plagiarism-checking system that fosters academic integrity through advanced information retrieval techniques to identify similar texts. Additionally, it features the AI Writing Detector (AWD) for instructors to identify signs of machine-generated content; and Tellus, an AI interview system designed for evaluating real-time interactions.
According to University guidelines, instructors may determine the extent to which AI tools may be used in their specific courses. These course-by-course policies will consider the difference in curricula, and could range from prohibiting AI entirely to permitting its use for specific assignments or tasks.
“It’s very important that we understand the tool, because it could go both ways. It could make us more lazy, but it could also help us to be more intelligent,” notes Professor King. With learning goals in mind, the teacher can act as a “curator” who partners with students to build the curriculum. By co-designing the pedagogy, they work together to find the most engaging and productive path to success.
Empowering teachers, students, and the community
Professor King believes that the onus is on both instructors and students to figure out how AI can create a more fruitful learning experience. He has therefore made it his mission to improve AI literacy in both staff and students: in partnership with the professor, CUHK’s Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) launched the AILEAP programme to train students and staff on how AI could be wielded for interactive learning, efficient teaching, and accelerated data analysis in research and innovate on. Since 2024, more than 40 workshops have been organised, in which participants also learn about the ethical use of AI.
CUHK has extended the digital literacy curriculum to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The compulsory Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking course provides undergraduates with foundational skills, enabling them to use data analysis and machine learning to solve problems and critically evaluate digital information. More AI-relevant materials are expected to be included.
Meanwhile, the University now offers eleven AI-related programmes (five undergraduate and six postgraduate) across the Faculties of Science and Engineering, and is considering teaching Computer Science and Engineering students “vibe coding,” a method that uses prompts rather than specific programming instructions to generate code and create apps. “I would say it’s going to have a major impact on programmers, so we’re considering teaching our students how to do vibe coding,” he says.
For the Hong Kong community, CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering is steering the AI for the Future Project, which seeks to make AI literacy available to all. The project has empowered tens of thousands of participants, including secondary school teachers and students from 120 schools, giving them a fundamental understanding of the technology. The professor, along with other faculty members, has created materials for the programme and is also in charge of the e-platform.
Attitude determines altitude
Professor King posits that success in an increasingly AI-driven world is built upon three foundations. Knowledge and skills form the first two, typically gained through higher education. However, he contends that attitude is the most essential element of all.
He firmly believes that a person’s mindset, initially nurtured within the confines of their home, truly flourishes under the guidance of a dedicated teacher. “One of our fundamental missions is to inspire learning,” he asserts. “As the PVC for Education, I am passionate about advocating for a holistic education that facilitates this transformative process.” He believes this attitude of openness begins with himself. “I see myself not just as a teacher, but as a perpetual learner,” he says, noting his own eagerness to learn about new applications, “because I firmly believe that lifelong learning is the hallmark of a successful person.”
As a Fellow of Lee Woo Sing College, his dedication extends beyond the classroom, where he connects with students through shared hikes, craft-making, and general education activities. This collegiate atmosphere reminds him of his own undergraduate days at the California Institute of Technology. “I learn from them,” he says. “These experiences truly foster a deeper sense of community spirit, effectively bridging the gap between educators and students. Such an environment may not be readily available at other universities.”
Professor King concludes that when facing AI, it is the students’ attitude that determines their future altitude. He emphasises that a university’s responsibility is not merely to impart cutting-edge knowledge, but more importantly, to foster dependable character — a principle encapsulated in the Chinese idiom “fostering virtue and nurturing people (立德樹人)”. Ultimately, the answer to whether AI can be a force for good lies not in the code itself, but in the intentions and actions of those who wield it. As Professor King puts it, “true wisdom is knowing how to harness this power for good.” The goal of CUHK is precisely to cultivate future leaders who are equipped with such wisdom.
By Chamois Chui
Photos by Yau Hung-kee
