Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu
Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s generative AI offering, is coming to China.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that China’s internet content regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, approved Apple’s AI services in the country on the back of a deal to integrate Alibaba’s Qwen AI model into Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS.
On Wednesday evening, a Baidu spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that it is also working with Apple on developing Apple Intelligence features for Chinese users.
The Alibaba deal, which was rumored to be in the works last year, marks an important step for Apple’s AI ambitions in a key market. In the second quarter, Apple generated $20.5 billion in sales in Greater China, up 28% from a year earlier. Apple also recently regained its No. 2 position in China’s smartphone market after a recent shopping festival offered discounts on the iPhone lineup.
The Baidu partnership was also rumored, but reports at the time claimed Apple was facing issues adapting its models for Chinese customers. Apple is also said to be exploring integrations with DeepSeek and ByteDance.
A lack of approval by Chinese regulators has led to Apple Intelligence features, which debuted in 2024, being delayed in the Chinese market.
Alibaba earlier confirmed the company’s news to CNBC in a statement, saying that its Qwen models would be “integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences,” though it did not provide a time frame. It also said the integrations would involve AI capabilities like “text and image understanding and generation.”
This article was updated Thursday, July 16, to add the statement by Baidu.
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