Governance and charter
The charter defines chapter governance, membership, use of fees and conflicts of interest. The key rules are summarised here.
Chapter status
Relationship with AAAI
Approved by AAAI in March 2026, the chapter supports industry AI practice, knowledge exchange and community activity in the Greater Bay Area. Officers must remain AAAI members in good standing. An annual report to AAAI records officers, members and activities.
Not-for-profit status
All dues and income support chapter purposes: events, training, shared knowledge, publications and essential administration. No profit is distributed to members. Dues are not capital contributions and confer no ownership or investment return. The chapter operates on a not-for-profit basis and is not a registered charity.
Operating entity
The Association of AI Applications for E-Commerce (AAAEC) is the chapter's operating entity, registered and operating in Hong Kong. AAAEC is used in membership titles, numbers and the domain name. Contracts, receipts and bank accounts use the entity's name. Prospective partners may request its registration details.
How we operate
Annual General Meeting
Held annually. Members elect the Council at the meeting; the first election is scheduled for the 2027 Annual General Meeting.
Council
The Council has 7 to 9 Elite Members: the Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and functional directors. It oversees strategy, events and budget execution, approves Senior Member promotions and hears admission appeals. Members serve 2-year terms, with a limit of two consecutive terms. The Council meets monthly.
Membership Committee
The Council appoints Senior Members to review and decide membership applications and assess Senior Member promotions. Designated founding team members serve until the first Senior Members are appointed. Reviewers must recuse themselves from applications involving employment, family or business relationships.
Conflicts of interest
Council members declare conflicts annually and disclose interests in projects, procurement, sponsorship or reviews in advance.
Appeals
Rejected applicants may make one appeal to the Council within 30 days.
Financial rules
Dues go only to the operating entity's bank account, never to personal accounts. Every payment receives a numbered receipt and a recorded membership period. Significant charges, related-party transactions and annual budgets require approval by written resolution.
Annual report
By 31 March each year, the chapter reports the previous year's work to AAAI. A public summary appears here; the first covers 2026.
Council
Founding team members serve on the Council until the first election in 2027.
- Chair
- Ken Jiang (Kan Jiang)
- Co-Chair
- Geoff Chen
- Secretary
- Jeremy Cai
- Executive Director (Hong Kong)
- Rocky Li
Further seats will be announced once the first Council is constituted.
Charter summary
Membership Charter, October 2026 edition
01Purposes
- Promote AI knowledge sharing and responsible use
- Support practical AI applications in e-commerce, cross-border business, education and other sectors
- Connect research, industry and talent across the Greater Bay Area
- Provide public-interest education, events, training, shared knowledge and special interest groups
- Use all dues and income for the organisation's mission, with no profit distribution to members
02Membership eligibility
Applicants must support the chapter's purposes, follow its code of conduct and provide accurate information. Individual Members must complete the required certificate lessons, pass the online assessment and project, have at least 3 years of relevant experience, pass Membership Committee review, and pay annual dues and the one-time review fee. Membership confers no academic accreditation, professional qualification, employment relationship or investment rights. Full-time students may apply as Student Members.
03Membership structure
The three grades are Member, Senior Member and Elite Member. Student membership is an affiliated category; corporate membership is by invitation. Eligibility, benefits and fees are set out on the membership page.
04Application and approval
Apply online with a CV, experience statement, referee and any existing course certificate number. Initial screening takes up to 5 working days, followed by the course assessment and project. Committee review takes up to 10 working days, with an interview if needed. Outcomes are approval, deferral with a recommendation to reapply, or rejection. Annual dues and the review fee are payable within 14 days of approval.
05Fees and finance
- Annual dues include the AAAI membership fee, paid by the chapter on the member's behalf
- Pay only to the operating entity's bank account, never to personal accounts
- Every payment receives a numbered receipt and recorded membership period
- Dues fund events, training, the platform, publications, administration and professional services
- Dues are not capital contributions and confer no ownership, profit distribution or guaranteed return
06Member rights and restrictions
Members may use events and resources available to their category. They may not sign contracts, issue statements, raise funds, commit to partnerships or use logos for the chapter or AAAI. Speaking engagements, projects, interest groups, sponsorship and external representation require written authorisation.
07Membership term, suspension and termination
Membership lasts 12 months. Members may decline renewal or withdraw in writing. The chapter may suspend or terminate membership for charter breaches, reputational damage, unpaid fees or compliance risks.
08Data and records
Only information needed to administer membership is collected, subject to purpose limitation, least privilege and appropriate retention. Application, payment, approval, event and refund records can be reconciled with bank transactions and accounting records.
09Amendments
Charter amendments require written approval. The version, approval date and effective date are recorded.
Rules
Code of conduct
- Act respectfully, professionally and inclusively. Harassment, discrimination and improper transfers of benefit are prohibited
- Respect intellectual property, privacy, data security and event confidentiality
- Disclose conflicts relating to projects, procurement, sponsorship or review
- Do not use membership for misleading endorsements, unlawful fundraising or improper commercial promotion
- Use AI responsibly. Do not submit passwords, customers' personal data or unauthorised sensitive information
Report breaches to ken@aaaec.org.
Personal data
Application data supports membership review, sanctions and reputation screening, and contact. After approval and payment, information needed for AAAI membership is shared with AAAI and included in the reported membership roster. Member-directory listings require consent. Accounts, applications, learning, assessments, projects and payment evidence use Supabase Auth, the database and private storage; access is limited to applicants and authorised chapter staff. Hosting region follows chapter configuration. Other forms, including organisational enquiries, use Web3Forms to reach the chapter inbox. Membership records are retained for 2 years after membership ends; payment and receipt records follow accounting retention requirements. Email ken@aaaec.org to request access, correction or deletion at any time.
Refunds and waivers
- Annual dues and the review fee are collected together after approval; unsuccessful applicants pay nothing
- Duplicate payments are refunded in full
- Within 7 days of approval, annual dues may be refunded, less actual payment-processing charges, provided no membership benefit has been used. The review fee and any AAAI fee already paid on the member's behalf are non-refundable
- Annual dues are generally non-refundable once benefits have been used or more than 7 days have passed
- If the chapter cancels the membership programme or cannot provide its main benefits, a reasonable refund covers the unfulfilled period
- Financial hardship or significant volunteer contributions may qualify for a 25%, 50% or 100% waiver on written application. Each decision is approved individually and recorded