Can Machines Imagine?

Can Machines Imagine?

AI, Art, and None of the Hype

Date: 23 March 2026 (Monday)
Time: 6:15pm-7:45pm
Venue: Hui Pun Hing Lecture Hall, LE1, Library Extension Building, Main Campus, HKU
By MTR: directions from Exit A2 
By Taxi: for taxi driver

Registration: CLICK HERE
Free seating, with doors open at 6pm
We have a limited number of Art Basel and Art Central Art Fair tickets to give away to students — first come, first served (at the registration desk)!

This panel discussion will be moderated by Prof. Yeewan Koon

Speakers:

• Alan LAU (Vice Chairman of M+ Board)
• Adrian NOTZ (Curator)
• Bianca TSE (Artist)
• Takeshi YAMADA (teamLab)

Alan LAU
Alan Lau is Vice Chair of M+, Hong Kong’s largest contemporary art museum. He has been a champion of Asian artists for two decades, and co-chairs the Asia Pacific Acquisition Committee of Tate, and the Asia Art Circle of Guggenheim. He has been a technologist for 20 years, with leadership roles in McKinsey, Tencent, and Animoca Brands. He founded McKinsey’s digital practice and led as Asia Head, co-founded Tencent’s insurance arm WeSure and served as CEO, and currently leads investment and manages a portfolio of 500 companies as CBO of Animoca. He advises the Oxford University and HK University on AI, Creativity & Ethics, and promotes AI adoption and policies as a founding member of The AI Association of HK. In the broader culture sphere, he serves on the board of Tapestry, which owns Coach and Kate Spade, and previously served on the digital board of Burberry. He also makes angel investments in F&B, entertainment, and technology.

Adrian Christopher NOTZ
Adrian Christopher Notz (*1977, Zurich) is an independent curator and lecturer based in Zurich. He studied time-based media and Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Bremen and Theory of Art and Design at the Zurich University of the Arts. In 2024, he co-curated the AAA Experiments in Kunsthalle Zurich and in 2023 the Art Encounters Biennial in Timișoara. He is currently lecturer at ETH Zurich, where he led the AI+Art Program at the ETH AI Center from 2021 to 2024. From 2020 to 2022, Notz served as curator at the Tichy Ocean Foundation in Zurich. Previously, he was the artistic director of Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich (2012–2019), following roles as co-director (2006–2012) and curatorial assistant (2004–2006). From 2010 to 2015, he also headed the Department of Fine Arts at the School of Design in St. Gallen. Throughout his career, Notz has organized and curated numerous exhibitions, events, conferences, and interventions, collaborating with international artists, scientists, activists, and thinkers both at Cabaret Voltaire and globally.

Bianca TSE
Bianca Tse, born and raised in Hong Kong of the 80s, combines her expertise in advertising with a profound passion for documentary work. Having experienced challenging family conditions during her upbringing in Temporary Housing Area, she consistently feels a deep connection to the themes of chaotic urban life and poverty. Her particular passion and fascination lie in the history of Kowloon Walled City and her hometown, Hong Kong. Drawing inspirations from local heritage and culture, as well as her personal memories, Bianca utilises AI tools to embark on a reimagined journey. Her works transport viewers into a captivating parallel universe of the City of Darkness while simultaneously experimenting with the possibilities of AI documentary. Bianca’s artistic style is rooted in storytelling, where she weaves together Hong Kong’s collective memories with the boundless possibilities offered by AI as a creative medium. By blending elements of authentic history and imagination, she creates an intriguing juxtaposition between the familiar and the extraordinary, breathing life into its forgotten past and presenting it in a unique light. https://www.walledcitywildestdreams.com

Takeshi YAMADA
Takeshi Yamada was born and raised in Tokyo in 1990. He studied at Durham University for one year and then graduated from Teikyo University in 2012 with a B.A. in English Literature and History. After working as a Marketing Manager in the travel industry in Zurich, he returned to Japan to work at teamLab where he is now the Director of Community Engagement.