More than a dozen CEOs and top-level executives in Hong Kong are taking a crash course in AI with the help of a non-profit to equip them with the skills to help 5,000 secondary school students learn the essentials of the technology.

The CEO training on Sunday was a key component of the AI-5000 Initiative, a collaborative effort between Project Melo and Preface, a Hong Kong-based education technology company.

The project garnered support from 17 top-level executives and leaders, including M+ museum chairman Bernard Chan, Link Reit CEO George Hongchoy, and Randy Lai, the CEO of McDonald’s Hong Kong.

“We believe that Hong Kong secondary students absolutely have to focus on AI,” said Kenny Lam Kwok-fung, a co-founder of Project Melo, a local non-profit focused on empowering young people that is co-running the programme.

Being held between September this year and March 2026, more than 50 schools are taking part in the programme. The courses will be delivered by Preface staff, students from Project Melo and the 15 participating CEOs.

The training programme is being launched amid a wider push by the government to get young people interested in the technology.