"Many people find it surprising how my business ventures span such diverse fields. I owe it all to multidisciplinary education at CUHK. As early as my first year, professors entrusted me to work as a research assistant even though I was a complete novice. CUHK's openness and flexibility allowed me to dive into research earlier than my peers and absorb knowledge without limits."
When arranging the interview location with Alan, he insisted on returning to the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE). He explained that, as a serial entrepreneur, his education in MAE has greatly benefited him. "The essence of MAE is automatic control. I have integrated this into my business, transforming operations into fully automated models after they run well. This frees me to develop new businesses or acquire new knowledge. This sets me apart from other serial entrepreneurs, I've never sold any of my businesses. Once automated, there are no lingering concerns."
Alan adheres to the principle of "cautious beginnings" in running business. He is highly cautious at the outset proceeding when he believes a venture can be sustainable, he said, "I never measure a venture's success purely by profit. What matters most is its contribution to society. My approach resembles investing in capital-preservation funds: I don't expect huge profits, but I also avoid big losses."
While AI has only recently entered the public spotlight, Alan's connection to the field began much earlier. "Back in 1997, I first used AI while developing a search engine at CUHK. For over 20 years, I've never left the field. My first entrepreneurial success came from a motion-sensing game controller powered by AI algorithms that tracked human movements. Later, when publishing personalized children's books, I also used AI to transform young readers into story protagonists," he shares.
His latest venture, Poffices.AI, originally started as a personal project with no plans for commercialization. "The trigger was OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT-3 in late 2022 - it stunned the world by achieving near-human capabilities. As an AI developer with more than 20 years of experience, I immediately dove into intensive research with my team. But the results disappointed me. First, as a CEO, I am not fond of small talk, but ChatGPT requires endless questioning to function, which is frustrating. Worse, its answers can be wrong, making me spend more time on verifying facts!"
Fueled by these frustrations, Alan resolved to build something better. "If we don't need a chatbot, let's create a AI taskbot instead, one that delivers perfectly accurate with source-verified information ready for immediate use. Thankfully, my twenty years of expertise paid off, enabling us to deliver a satisfactory platform within a year."
So, what exactly can Poffices.AI do? Let it introduce itself (the following content is provided by Poffices.AI), "Poffices.AI is an artificial intelligence platform specializing in office automation and digital transformation, designed to enhance workplace efficiency and productivity. By integrating advanced conversational AI technology with automation tools, it helps businesses streamline daily workflows, improve team collaboration, and make information management smarter and more efficient."
In short, it's an AI-powered office productivity tool. To achieve these functions, Alan explains they had to subvert generative AI's core logic, "ChatGPT and DeepSeek use large language models (LLMs), which rely on data provided by humans. If the input data is flawed, the output will be wrong ('garbage in, garbage out'). We flipped this approach: the LLM only serves as the human-machine interface. When users input any language description, the LLM first interprets it, then our self-developed AI taskbot analyzes and gathers the data, and finally, the LLM converts the results back into text. In other words, the LLM focuses on only what it excels at—language processing, significantly reducing errors."
Poffices.AI was not intended for market release. It began as Alan's personal tool. Alan recalled, "After returning to CUHK to teach in 2017, I faced mountains of paperwork. Poffices.AI helped me draft lecture notes and exam papers. The turning point came in October last year, when Fortune 500 CEOs visited to observe how I train undergraduates, they were amazed when Poffices.AI generated a complete business plan in one minute and immediately asked if I'd sell it to them." But Alan envisioned something different: free global access. "Server costs are inevitable, so I proposed a corporate subscription model—let businesses pay the bill to keep it free for individual users." To address enterprise concerns, he developed an all-in-one computer with built-in Poffices.AI. "Businesses have always hesitated to adopt AI due to legitimate concerns about storing sensitive files and proprietary data on cloud platforms. Our offline solution keeps all files locally, eliminating leakage risks. This lets enterprises deploy AI with full confidence."
While many worry that AI stifles creativity, Alan remains unconcerned. He said, "AI is fundamentally trained on existing data. It can't create anything truly novel and still can’t outmatch the human brain’s capabilities. The real value lies in how AI eliminates 80% of mundane tasks like typing and report-writing that currently drain creative professionals' time. With the assistance of AI, creators’ creativity is liberated." As an educator, he wholeheartedly encourages students to embrace AI. He recalled, "During my study years in university, we had discussions about whether students should use the internet for academia. Using the internet versus visiting libraries is just a choice between different research tools . Today, AI is simply a more efficient tool. It could potentially elevate human civilization to new heights. Therefore, I'd gladly accept assignments drafted with Poffices.AI. The key is how students leverage the findings to push boundaries—that's what truly matters."
Published on CU Alumni Magazine Issue 122 by Alumni Affairs Office 2025
Read online: CU Alumni Magazine Issue 122 (Chinese Version Only)
PDF: http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/202506/pdf/CUAM_202506.pdf
ISSUU: http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/issuu/