HKUST Bets on Judgment Over Coding for Future Public Leaders in AI Age
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes economies, labour markets and public services, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is making a clear bet: the defining skill for tomorrow’s public leaders will not be coding, but judgment.
At the helm of its Master of Public Management (MPM) programme is Programme Director Prof. Donald Low, who argues that leadership in the AI age demands more than technical fluency. It requires the ability to weigh competing interests, navigate ethical tensions and keep citizens’ welfare at the centre of decision-making.
“When we say public managers, we don’t just mean people working in the public sector,” Low said. The programme casts a wide net - from civil servants and NGO professionals to private-sector executives in regulated industries and those involved in public–private partnerships. “We broadly call these people public managers because they serve the public interest.”
Unlike traditional public policy degrees aimed at fresh graduates, HKUST’s MPM is designed for mid-career professionals. Students typically bring five to six years of work experience. “It’s more like an MBA classroom,” Low explained. “They come from different industries but share a common thread: they operate in, or serve, the public interest. That allows us to draw directly on real-world experience.”
Governing in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
What distinguishes the programme is its direct engagement with technological disruption and its policy implications.
“We are in the middle of a fourth industrial revolution,” Low explained. “The first three replaced much of our manual labour. The AI revolution threatens - or promises - to replace our cognitive labour.”
This shift raises fundamental questions for governments and institutions. If machines can perform tasks once reserved for highly skilled professionals, what remains uniquely human? How should policymakers respond to changes in productivity, employment and inequality? And how will AI reshape global economic competition and geopolitical influence?
Low frames AI as a collective action challenge with geo-economic consequences. Countries that slow adoption to protect existing jobs may preserve employment in the short term but risk falling behind in productivity and competitiveness. Those that move quickly can capture economic gains, but must manage displacement, inequality and social cohesion.
“Governments that embrace AI also embrace the risks,” he said. “It’s a complex challenge that is constantly changing.”
Rather than treat AI as a niche topic, the MPM embeds it across the curriculum. Students develop AI literacy in a policy and management context, learning how to govern, regulate and apply them responsibly in real-world settings.
Technology in Service of People
Despite being housed in a science and technology university, the programme deliberately resists technological determinism.
“This is a science and tech university, so there’s a degree of techno-optimism,” Low acknowledged. “But we ask: how do we ensure the promise outweighs the risks?”
For Low, the public interest is the guiding principle. “Public policy is not about serving technology companies or building novel tools for their own sake. The key question is: how does this improve people’s lives?”
He points to sectors such as healthcare, where collaboration between humans and AI can deliver better outcomes. “Professionals are more effective when they work with AI. Human plus AI will outperform either alone,” he said. “That’s where the real opportunity lies, higher productivity that can translate into improved living standards and better policy outcomes.”
Navigating a ‘Poly-Crisis’ World
The MPM was conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period that exposed the scale of uncertainty facing public leaders. Today, Low describes the global environment as an era of “poly-crises”: overlapping challenges spanning climate change, technological disruption and geopolitical fragmentation.
“We cannot predict every future shock,” he said. “But we can equip students with a learner’s mindset, intellectual curiosity and adaptability. Alongside poly-crisis, there is also poly-opportunity.”
He argued that Hong Kong provides a uniquely rich context for these discussions. Under “one country, two systems”, the city combines a common law tradition, strong data governance frameworks and increasing integration with mainland China. This creates a natural platform for examining tensions around regulation, privacy and the balance between individual rights and the collective interests.
“Different perspectives are questioned, scrutinised and stress-tested,” Low said. “That’s where the real learning happens.”
Building Modern Public Leadership
Beyond theory, the programme also focuses on practical capability. Low identifies seven core competencies the MPM seeks to develop: managing stakeholders across sectors; understanding geopolitics in an era of renewed global rivalry; interpreting geo-economic shifts driven by technology; navigating disruption, including AI; leading organisational innovation; handling ethical complexity; and balancing short-term pressures with long-term strategy.
The diversity of the student body reflects this breadth. Its alumni boasts civil servants preparing for senior leadership all the way experienced professionals such as lawyers, engineers and educators, all looking to broaden their perspective.
“If you’re moving into leadership, you need range,” Low said. “Not just deep expertise, but breadth.”
Alumni say the programme’s emphasis on real-world application and interdisciplinary thinking has translated directly into their professional roles. For Lo Tim Man Him (MPM 2024), Head of System Development at BEAM Society Limited, he noted that increasing organisational and societal complexity has heightened the need for innovative policy thinking.
“The programme strengthened my ability to analyse socio-economic challenges and develop effective policies,” he said, adding that it has helped him better position his organisation within a rapidly evolving social landscape.
With five cohorts now graduated, early outcomes are encouraging. Alumni report gaining a mindset that allows them to adapt across roles and even industries. Some have advanced within their sectors, while others have made significant career transitions.
What they take with them, Low suggests, is both confidence and a commitment to continued learning.
In an era where machines increasingly replicate aspects of human cognition, HKUST’s MPM is built around something less easily automated: the capacity to think critically, exercise judgment and ensure that, even in the age of AI, human values remain at the centre of public decision-making.
