Events

The “AI × Non-Standardised Assets” Cross-Industry Innovation and the Future of Luxury Consumption Summit, co-organised by the HKU Standard Chartered Foundation FinTech Academy, the Shanghai International Jewellery & Fashion Functional Zone, Bund FTC, the HKU Business School Shanghai Centre, and Algoluxury — a venture incubated by the HKU Business School Shenzhen Research Institute — was successfully held at the Bund, Shanghai on 19 October 2025.

Session One: AI Technology & Digitalisation in the Jewellery Sector

In his keynote presentation, Professor You Yang shared a key industry insight: “General-purpose AI is prone to serious ‘hallucinations’ when confronted with high-value, non-standardised assets. For significant purchase or investment decisions, we need purpose-built AI models trained on real transaction data to eliminate bias.” He went on to unpack the underlying data logic behind the HKU research team’s Algoluxury AI Valuation Model and the Jewellery Data White Paper.

Comprehensive Data Aggregation

The model deeply integrates historical transaction records from the world’s four leading auction houses — Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams, and Phillips — and continuously captures pricing differentials from brand official websites across different regions (such as Australia and China), as well as transaction data from secondary luxury goods platforms.

Redefining the Pricing Paradigm

Professor You emphasised that through the cleaning and analysis of the global annual Top 100 transaction data, the AI model can effectively identify the contribution of each gemstone sub-attribute to its price, thereby upgrading the traditional “experience-driven” model to a “data-driven” framework for scientific decision-making.

Session Two: A New Ecosystem for Alternative Investment Under Globalisation and Digitalisation

During the roundtable discussion, experts from the auction, art, and brand sectors engaged in an in-depth dialogue on the “globalisation and digitalisation of non-standardised assets.”

The “Professionalisation” of Market Mindset

Louisa Lo (Director, Sotheby’s Asia) noted that today’s clients have become highly sophisticated and no longer pay blind premiums for brand names alone. Using sapphires as an example, she illustrated how buyers are now taking a holistic approach, weighing scientific criteria such as clarity and provenance. She also observed that while social media can reach a broader audience, overexposure risks undermining the aura of exclusivity that defines high-end jewellery.

The Symbiosis of Digital Ecosystems and Art Assets

Qian Jin (Founder, ArtFuture Art Club) shared his reflections on how art assets can be integrated into the digital ecosystem, exploring how technology can inject new vitality into traditional art trading.

Brand Innovation and Consumer Sovereignty

Bai Jiliang (General Manager of Marketing, Lao Miao Brand) approached the discussion from a brand perspective, exploring how China’s traditional jewellery industry can leverage technological innovation to respond to consumers’ dual demands for “emotional value” and “professional expertise” in the era of digital transformation.

Attendees reached a consensus that AI technology is accelerating the standardisation and internationalisation of non-standardised asset valuation. Empowered by technology, design-driven assets such as art and jewellery are gradually evolving from traditional consumer goods into a “new asset class” that carries both deep cultural significance and clearly defined financial value.