Hong Kong introduces AI-powered counselling to push down smoking rates
發佈日期: 2026-05-27 20:15
TVB News
Hong Kong's smoking rate drops to 8.5%, hitting a record low.
The Department of Health launches a "Quit in June" campaign to fight smoking.
An AI service is introduced to provide personalised smoking cessation counselling services.
Samantha Li got the details from the officials.
The latest government figures show there are 538,000 smokers aged 15 or above in 2025, a 6% drop from 2023.
On average, they smoke 10.2 cigarettes a day.
The number of people using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is also in decline.
Around 37 percent of smokers tried to quit but failed.
Construction worker Andy Lo started smoking at the age of nine, and used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day to relieve stress.
He successfully quit last year after using "Chat to Quit, " an AI counselling program launched by the Department of Health and the University of Hong Kong.
He says, "When I was trying to quit, my co-workers would say join us, and they would give me cigarettes. Fortunately, the AI robot Mike sent me messages to remind me that I was quitting."
The Department of Health will send out trial packs of smoking cessation drugs through some 300 community pharmacies.
Meanwhile, Chinese medicine ear points patches will also be available at more than 50 Chinese medicine clinics, covering more than 200 locations, to help individuals battle their addiction.
MANNY LAM, Head, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, Department of Health said, "In 2024, we introduced 10 tobacco control measures and most of them have already been implemented. We expected that they will be continuing decreasing in the smoking preference in the coming years."
It has been about a month since the ban of alternative smoking products in public places.
Lam says as of May 23, his office has conducted a total of 3,300 inspections and issued 39 penalty notices.
Besides existing anti-smoking measures, the Department of Health says it will continue to use education and promotion to drive smoking rates down to its 7.8% target.
