Tech Innovator Vows to Rebuild David Webb's Hong Kong Database Using AI
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Keith Li King-wah, co-founder and principal trainer of Allytic AI, announced on Facebook that he will rebuild the Webb-site database using artificial intelligence, bringing the resource into the modern era. The database, created over 27 years by the late Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb, contains publicly available information on listed companies and various economic indicators. Webb died aged 60 from metastatic prostate cancer in January this year. Li says he needs approximately six months to complete the reconstruction, upgrading everything from scratch while preserving the site's underlying logic. Under Webb's instructions, the site's data and programs were released into the public domain for free use, provided the Webb-site brand name was not used.
Key Points
- Keith Li King-wah, co-founder of Allytic AI, announced the project on Facebook in a post on Wednesday
- David Webb died aged 60 from metastatic prostate cancer in January 2024, having announced his website would shut down before his death
- The database aggregates publicly available information including board compositions, reporting speed of listed companies, Hong Kong consumer prices, and energy consumption trends
- Webb explicitly prohibited continuation of Webb-site.com, stating he would not want it "potentially polluted or corrupted with clickbait, crypto-scams or worse"
- Li plans to upgrade everything from scratch using AI while keeping only the site's underlying logic, aiming to run smoothly for another 27 years
Why It Matters
The reconstruction project could preserve invaluable corporate governance data for Hong Kong's financial community, maintaining Webb's legacy of transparency in the city's listed companies. Li's plans to add new features, including a potential model context protocol server, could significantly expand the database's utility for investors and researchers analyzing Hong Kong markets .
The reconstruction project could preserve invaluable corporate governance data for Hong Kong's financial community, maintaining Webb's legacy of transparency in the city's listed companies. Li's plans to add new features, including a potential model context protocol server, could significantly expand the database's utility for investors and researchers analyzing Hong Kong markets .