The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Lead AI Data Scientist Lin Jing: AI is Still in Its Infancy, Universities Can Serve as Innovation Hubs

Full Article in Chinese

• Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Finance, College of Business, CityUHK
• Lead AI Data Scientist, The Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Adjunct Professor, CityUHK
• Member of a council, Hong Kong Society of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

"I have always been curious about the principles behind science since I was a child. However, I eventually realized that the laws of matter ultimately serve human society, which led me to shift my focus to economics and finance." Lin Jing, now serving as the Lead AI Data Scientist at The Hong Kong Jockey Club developed a strong interest in physics early on, which prompted her to major in aerospace engineering in university. By chance, she also studied finance and statistics, laying a solid foundation for her Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Finance at CityUHK. By flexibly applying data science and artificial intelligence to analyze sports-related services, including horse racing, she has developed new technologies that genuinely assist the company's professionals and clients. Additionally, she has returned to her alma mater to teach, nurturing the next generation with her experience and knowledge.

When discussing the application of AI data science in providing sports information, Lin Jing pointed out that horse racing and other sports betting are considered information-intensive products similar to financial instruments. AI can play a role in information processing and enhancing customer experiences. For example, by analyzing a horse's past performance, track conditions, and movements, AI can improve training outcomes and animal welfare on one hand, while also helping customers make more confident decisions based on extensive information and data on the other. "This data also allows us to gain deeper insights into customer needs, thereby providing more precise information, services, and products, and enhancing the accuracy of customer service."

Reflecting on her initial exposure to finance in university, Lin Jing recalled that she had the opportunity to pursue a second major in her second year. To deepen her understanding of the business world, she chose finance and statistics. "A profound influence was reading N. Gregory Mankiw's 'Principles of Economics,' which sparked my interest in the behavioral patterns of human society. It also made me realize that the ultimate goal of scientific research is to serve the public. I felt it was necessary to continuously explore the relationship between people and economic and commercial development to better meet their needs."

This belief accompanied Lin Jing as she entered the workforce and continued to grow, eventually becoming the driving force behind her pursuit of a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Finance. She candidly shared that her academic journey at CityUHK left her with many profound experiences. One particularly memorable experience was with a special-appointment professor who was a seasoned banker and traveled from Japan to Hong Kong every week to teach the "Commercial Banking" course. "I learned two key virtues from him: first, punctuality—despite his busy schedule, he was never late; second, his willingness to share his experiences. In addition to publishing books on banking, he also wrote a book out of his passion for red wine. This made me understand that sharing knowledge should not be limited to professional fields."

Regarding her research scope, Lin Jing added that she once wrote a thesis under her professor's guidance, focusing on the relationship between Shanghai and Hong Kong. Many people believe these two Asian financial centers are competitors, but her research led to a different conclusion. "After analyzing historical data from the past century, we found that as trade and financial centers in East China and South China, respectively, when one city's financial industry develops positively, the other city also prospers." She openly stated that this reflects how a healthy market ecosystem requires mutual development among multiple parties to facilitate greater capital flow.

"The most important point is to avoid preconceptions. If you preset a conclusion and then look for evidence to support it, you will only end up with erroneous research results. This experience also taught me the correct methods for scientific research and data analysis." She emphasized that the only way to achieve success in any research is to collect and analyze authentic data objectively to draw accurate conclusions.

Firmly believing that AI and data science are the best tools for collecting and processing information and data, as well as analyzing underlying patterns, Lin Jing describes AI as the fourth industrial revolution. Although it is still in its early stages of development, its application in various industries, such as horse racing, enables faster and more efficient collection, transmission, and analysis of data and information. At the same time, it helps establish corresponding knowledge systems to understand the deep mechanisms behind phenomena, fully unleashing the power of "enablement."

Earlier, when she returned to CityUHK as a Adjunct Professor at the College of Computing, Lin Jing noted that, beyond giving back to her alma mater, she also recognized Hong Kong's unique advantage of having five Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world top-100 universities, which brings immense potential for developing into a technology innovation hub. "Hong Kong's universities can serve as starting points for innovation. Through collaboration with other cities in the Greater Bay Area, research can be transformed into products or services, which can then return to Hong Kong. Leveraging its common law system, international talent, and status as a financial center, these products can be promoted globally."

She believes that professionals in the AI data field can be categorized into two types: research-oriented professionals who focus on technological research and development, and application-oriented professionals who serve as users. "The former require a solid foundation in mathematics, physics, and computer science to understand fundamental principles and drive innovation. The most important quality for application-oriented professionals is the ability to ask questions, enabling them to clearly define business needs. The greatest asset of the younger generation is time. They should feel empowered to experiment and identify their genuine interests as career directions, rather than blindly chasing trends. Once they find their passion, they should patiently accumulate experience and make progress, ultimately becoming experts in their chosen fields.

（Published at 30 September 2025）