Children Spotlight of the Month: Chow Sze-lok

At just 17 years old, Chow Sze-lok, a student at St Mary’s Canossian College in Hong Kong, has created a groundbreaking solution that could transform how childcare facilities safeguard children. Her innovation, Kid-AID, is an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to monitor CCTV footage in real time and detect possible signs of physical abuse.

What makes Kid-AID exceptional is its ability to go beyond passive monitoring. Unlike traditional CCTV, which is often reviewed only after an incident has occurred, Kid-AID actively analyzes footage as events unfold, flagging suspicious movements and interactions immediately. This proactive approach could significantly strengthen trust in childcare systems by offering real-time alerts that allow timely intervention.

Chow developed Kid-AID in just six months using an old laptop prone to overheating. To train the system, she recorded and analyzed simulated scenarios at her school, since privacy regulations prevented the use of real childcare footage. Despite these limitations, the system’s effectiveness and innovation have earned widespread recognition.

Achievements of Kid-AID include:

• Champion and Best Performance Award at Hong Kong’s “AI” Competition.
• Golden Award at the INTOC Global 2022 International Science Project Competition.
• Bronze Medal at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.
• First runner-up in the Scientist/Mathematician category at the SCMP Student of the Year Awards.
• Recognition among Hong Kong’s Top Ten Young STEAM Talents.

Her work has also been showcased at the Hong Kong Science Fair and the prestigious InfoMatrix competition in Mexico.

Chow’s motivation came from researching child abuse cases in local care centers. She realized that CCTV systems often failed to prevent abuse because they were only reviewed retrospectively. Determined to change this, she envisioned a system that could detect troubling patterns in real time, providing a chance to intervene before harm escalates.

Importantly, Chow has extended her vision beyond childcare. She has also developed Elder-AID, a system designed to detect potential abuse in elderly care facilities, showing her broader commitment to protecting vulnerable populations.

Though Kid-AID has not yet been deployed in childcare centers, its success demonstrates the immense potential of youth-driven innovation in tackling urgent social challenges. Chow Sze-lok’s work is not only an inspiring story of determination and creativity but also a glimpse into how technology can be harnessed to make the world safer for children and other vulnerable groups.

This month, we proudly spotlight Chow Sze-lok, a young innovator proving that age is no barrier to creating solutions with global impact.