As a leader in AI-powered educational transformation, PolyU has taken two significant steps to advance the internationalisation of AI in education by launching a global university alliance focused on AI-driven change in higher education, and co-organising an international summit dedicated to AI in language learning and teaching. These initiatives position Hong Kong as a hub for international collaboration, pedagogical innovation, and ethically grounded AI integration in education.

A global alliance for AI-enabled higher education transformation

On 3 July, PolyU officially launched the International Consortium for Higher Education Transformation and Innovation with AI (ICHETI), a strategic alliance of 16 leading universities from Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Founding members include Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Fudan University, PolyU, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Tongji University, Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Auckland, University of Pisa, University of Science and Technology of China, Vienna University of Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Yonsei University, and Zhejiang University, with PolyU’s Institute for Higher Education Research and Development (IHERD) serving as the secretariat. As the first organisation of its kind globally, ICHETI aims to play an active role in shaping the future of higher education in an AI-empowered era.

ICHETI’s core mission is to jointly navigate the AI paradigm shift by redefining learning and teaching around a student-centred, personalised model. Member universities will collaborate to co-develop AI-powered learning and assessment tools, adaptive learning systems, and evidence-based frameworks that transform educators’ roles from instructors to mentors and facilitators. This approach builds on PolyU’s own pioneering work, including the introduction of mandatory AI education for all undergraduates in 2022 and the launch of the PolyU Education 4.0 (PolyU E4.0) initiative to transform learning and teaching through the integration of AI and smart technologies.

PolyU President Professor Jin-Guang Teng emphasised that integrating AI into higher education is not merely about adopting new tools, but fundamentally reimagining the learning experience to cultivate future-ready leaders. By extending the impact of PolyU E4.0 to the global stage through ICHETI, PolyU seeks to create an international academic community that shares AI-driven pedagogies and cutting-edge tools to redefine the student experience worldwide. The launch was accompanied by an International Forum for Higher Education Transformation and Innovation, featuring presidential roundtables and keynote speeches where leaders exchanged strategic visions and institutional best practices on smart technology integration.

Elevating AI in language learning and teaching

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony of AIinLT 2026, which also marked the opening of the Education Bureau’s Digital Education Week 2026 (from left to right): Dr Gloria Chan, Deputy Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government; Dr Jeff Sze, Under Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government and Chairperson of the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education; Dr Choi Yuk-lin; Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen; Prof. Wong Wing-tak, PolyU Deputy President and Provost; and Prof. Cao Jiannong.

Just days earlier, from 21 to 24 June, PolyU co-organised the International Summit on the Use of AI in Language Learning and Teaching 2026 (AIinLT 2026) with the Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR). Held at the Jockey Club Auditorium, the Summit brought together teachers from primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, as well as researchers and education professionals, to exchange insights on AI applications in language education.

Officiating guests of the opening ceremony included Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government; Professor Cao Jiannong, PolyU Vice President (Education); and Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen, Chairperson of SCOLAR. Dr Choi highlighted that AIinLT 2026 marked the launch of Digital Education Week 2026 and aligned with the newly announced Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools, which provides a roadmap for promoting AI education from primary through secondary levels. She underscored the EDB’s commitment to “AI for all schools” and “AI for all students”, ensuring Hong Kong’s education system supports the city’s positioning as an international innovation and technology centre.

Professor Cao reiterated PolyU’s dedication to purposeful, pedagogically sound AI integration through PolyU E4.0, noting the establishment of a new Language Education Institute to support all students in harnessing AI for language learning. The Summit featured keynotes from international scholars, including Professor Mairéad Pratschke on human-AI language education, alongside a cross-sector panel on “AI Across Educational Landscapes” and hands-on workshops offering practical strategies for personalised learning.