Hong Kong mulls AI facial recognition-enabled drones to police smoking ban at construction sites, 39 fines issued so far

Authorities have issued 39 fines since a smoking ban at construction sites came into effect last month, with the Labour Department saying it is looking into equipping drones with facial recognition tools to better enforce the new law. Construction workers in Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Wan Chi-ping, the Labour Department’s assistant commissioner of occupational safety, said authorities have inspected nearly 1,400 construction sites since the smoking ban was introduced in mid-July. Local media reported on Wednesday that a total of 39 fines had been issued, and authorities had also handed out 11 “improvement notices” at construction sites where anti-smoking measures were not up to standard. Wan said the department has been using drones with cameras that have infrared sensors to help identify smoking on construction sites. The drones work by detecting higher temperatures to pinpoint potential instances of smoking, he added. “We can adjust the thermal sensitivity threshold to 60 to 80°C, which is typically the temperature range for smoking. If a temperature of this range [is detected], a red dot will appear on the monitor,” Wan said in Cantonese. But he added that none of the fines issued so far resulted from drone detection. Wan said authorities are also looking into integrating artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition tools into the drones. Research into adding such tools may take nine months to a year, he said. Hong Kong police officers demonstrate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to journalists on May 19, 2025. Photo: Hong Kong Police Force, via Facebook. The smoking ban is among a number of measures that the government proposed in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire last November, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands in one of the worst blazes in Hong Kong history. Authorities previously said that the blaze was most likely caused by smoking, citing the findings of a cross-departmental investigation. The new rule designates all types of construction sites – including those for building repair, maintenance or renovation – as no smoking areas. Offenders face a fixed fine of HK$3,000. Contractors responsible for construction works are required to ensure that no one smokes on their sites, with those failing to do so facing a maximum fine of HK$400,000. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong. More by Hillary Leung