Apple has trained its own AI model for the Chinese market with help from Alibaba, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. Chinese regulators registered the service last month, a step that could make Apple the first foreign company allowed to run its own proprietary AI model in China. The development follows a difficult year for Apple's AI push, including a shift to Google's Gemini and a $250 million settlement over misleading AI-feature claims.
Apple has trained its own AI model for the Chinese market with support from Alibaba, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The Cyberspace Administration of China registered Apple's generative AI service last month, clearing a regulatory hurdle that has kept OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude unavailable in the country. Apple plans to pair its model with Alibaba's Qwen and technology from Baidu, though it remains unclear what role each system will play.
Apple Intelligence, the company's branded AI initiative, is expected to reach Chinese iPhones through an iOS update in the coming months. Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai confirmed the companies' arrangement in February 2025, when he reportedly said: "In the end they chose to do business with us."
The report comes after a difficult year for Apple's AI business. In January, the company said its next-generation Foundation Models would use Google's Gemini instead of a proprietary design, following delays and a weak reception for Apple Intelligence. That delay has left Apple trailing Chinese rivals such as Huawei, which already sells phones with AI features.
Apple also agreed in May to pay $250 million to settle claims that it misled iPhone buyers about AI features that were unavailable at launch. Then in June, the company unveiled Siri AI, a rebuilt assistant that can hold conversations, analyze images, and use personal context, though it will remain unavailable in China while Apple works through regulatory requirements.
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