A Hong Kong Documentary on AI
AI is reshaping everything. But are we in control?
This documentary is a non-profit, public interest undertaking. Our goal is to produce a rigorous, accessible resource for the general public and policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the community at large. Based in Hong Kong, we aim to start a conversation that reaches global audiences, both East and West.
We are a team from the technology world, social entrepreneurship, academia, and journalism — united by a single concern:
"Can we get AI to work for us — and if so, how?"
Rather than surveying AI risks as a checklist of topics, we structure the entire inquiry around one urgent problem — and pursue it from Hong Kong's unique vantage point between East and West.
Theme 01
AI systems increasingly make consequential decisions that even their creators cannot fully explain. We examine the "black box" problem and how embedded bias can silently shape outcomes in hiring, lending, justice, and healthcare.
Theme 02
From deepfakes eroding public trust to AI companions linked to psychological harm — these are not hypothetical risks. We investigate harms already being experienced by real people, and the hidden labour that powers the systems behind them.
Theme 03
Autonomous weapons systems and large-scale job displacement are no longer distant forecasts. We ask who bears the cost of these changes, and whether our institutions have the tools — or the will — to respond.
Theme 04
What happens when AI systems become too complex, too fast, or too embedded to govern? We explore the prospect of advanced systems that resist meaningful human oversight — and ask whether alignment with human values is achievable at all.
Past technologies triggered fears that history showed were overstated. Is AI genuinely different?
AI combines supercomputing power, massive datasets, and near-ubiquitous use-cases in a way no prior technology has. The result is not just economic anxiety but profound questions about bias, exploitation, military autonomy, and psychological harm.
These concerns are not coming from the margins. They are being voiced by the researchers, policymakers, and technologists who built these systems — and who are increasingly unsure whether the institutions governing them are equal to the task.
The global conversation about AI governance is also dangerously fragmented. US and Chinese perspectives rarely engage with one another, yet these are the two systems that will determine most of what AI becomes.
A Hong Kong team, fluent in both worlds, is uniquely positioned to bridge that divide — and to make the resulting documentary accessible to the widest possible audience, in multiple languages.
We come from journalism, public policy, technology, and academia — brought together by a shared conviction that the public deserves an honest account of what AI is doing to our world.
Professor in Media Ethics. Former Chief Editor and Executive Director of the Hong Kong Economic Journal. A veteran journalist with over 30 years of experience, and a weekly columnist for Ming Pao.
Social entrepreneur and public policy professional advising corporates, non-profits, and universities on public affairs and geopolitics. Inaugural Obama Foundation Scholar in Asia Pacific. Aspires to act as a bridge across sectors, cultures, political affiliations, and generations.
Consultant and writer focused on US–China relations and AI governance, with a background in filmmaking and media. Former journalist writing at the intersection of politics, technology, and international news, bringing editorial and production expertise.
News and milestones as the project develops. Check back for announcements on interviews, screenings, and funding.
We are pleased to announce the launch of ourownrisk.hk, the official home of At Our Own Risk. The site will be updated regularly as the project develops. We welcome enquiries from broadcasters, funders, and potential interview subjects.
We welcome enquiries from broadcasters, academic institutions, funders, and those with expertise at the intersection of AI, ethics, and public policy.
You can reach the team directly:
Prof. KC Chan — info@ourownrisk.hk