From Secondary School Graduate to “AI Artist”: How Students Can Prepare for the AI Era
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak with approximately 200 secondary school students at Lee Hing Kwai Schhol, sharing my thoughts on AI, future skills, and the changes already taking place in the workplace.
The topic of the session was:
From Secondary School Graduate to “AI Artist”
Before the seminar, many people told me:
“Students nowadays have short attention spans.”
“Young people are not interested in their future.”
“AI is too abstract for them.”
However, after the session, I came to a different conclusion.
Young people are not uninterested in the future.
They are simply tired of unrealistic advice and generic motivational speeches.
When you talk about:
failures
mistakes
real-world challenges
workplace pressure
uncertainty
and how AI is changing society
they listen.
Adaptability: Lessons from Selling Burned CDs
During the sharing, I told students about one of my earliest business experiences.
When I was younger, I used to sell burned music CDs.
Shopping malls sold them for HK$20. I sold them for HK$10.
The lesson was not about making money.
It was about learning adaptability.
Opportunities often exist where others fail to notice demand.
In today's rapidly changing world, this mindset is more valuable than ever.
The Real World Doesn't Reward Effort Alone
I also shared my first job experience.
I worked long hours and handled physically demanding tasks.
One day, I accidentally dropped my lunchbox into a fish pond and had no lunch for the rest of the day. I was also blamed for mistakes that were not entirely my fault.
It was a difficult experience.
But it taught me an important lesson:
The real world does not reward effort alone.
Responsibility, resilience, and consistency matter.
As I told the students:
Success is rarely the result of one lucky moment.
It is the result of repeating good habits consistently.
People Make Mistakes. Systems Prevent Them.
Early in my career, I made a serious mistake that resulted in the loss of important company data.
That experience changed the way I work forever.
Since then, I have relied heavily on checklists, procedures, and systems.
Because I learned:
People make mistakes.
Systems reduce mistakes.
Professionalism is not about being perfect.
Professionalism is about creating systems that help you avoid repeating the same mistakes.
AI Is Changing More Than Technology
One of the key messages of the seminar was AI.
However, I was not trying to convince students that AI is magical.
Instead, I wanted them to understand that:
AI is redefining what creates value.
Tasks such as:
research
summarisation
content drafting
basic design work
can increasingly be completed by AI faster and cheaper than humans.
As a result, future success may depend more on:
critical thinking
creativity
communication
adaptability
judgement
problem-solving
One statement I shared was:
AI will not replace you.
People who know how to use AI will.
AI Is My Assistant, Not My Boss
I demonstrated how I use AI tools in my daily work.
AI helps me:
organise ideas
brainstorm solutions
improve productivity
accelerate research
build first drafts
But there is one principle I strongly believe in:
AI is not my boss.
AI is my assistant.
Technology amplifies human capability.
But human judgement, creativity, and leadership still matter.
AI Can Complete 80%. You Complete the Final 20%.
Towards the end of the session, I shared another perspective.
AI can help you complete 80% of the work.
The final 20% — creativity, taste, emotion, and judgement — still comes from you.
That is why I believe:
Thinking is becoming more valuable than memorising.
In an AI-driven world, asking the right questions may become more important than simply knowing the right answers.
Hold the Brush. Paint Your Future.
I ended the seminar with a message to the students.
You are not the generation that will be replaced by AI.
You are the first generation that can learn to work alongside AI from the very beginning.
AI is simply a tool.
A brush.
The future is still painted by the person holding it.
AI is the tool.
Humans remain the creator.
About the Author
Frankie Leung is the Founder and CEO of i-Success Technology (HK) Limited.
He specialises in:
Artificial Intelligence Applications
Cybersecurity
Managed IT Services
Digital Transformation
Frankie actively shares insights with schools, organisations, and businesses on AI adoption, future skills, cybersecurity awareness, and digital transformation in the modern workplace.
