Apple is planning to bring its Apple Intelligence features to China as early as May, partnering with Chinese firms Alibaba and Baidu, as the company strives to meet strict government regulations, according to a new Bloomberg report.
The iPhone maker has several teams in China and the US working to adapt its Apple Intelligence platform for the region, aiming for a launch as early as May, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In addition to the engineering work, Apple still faces regulatory hurdles in China, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
E-commerce giant Alibaba is Apple’s main partner in the project, reportedly working an on-device system to analyze and modify Apple’s AI models for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users in China. As you might expect, the AI system will include strict built-in censorship and filtering capabilities to comply with the requirements of the Chinese government. Baidu will be its secondary partner, handling features like Visual Intelligence for the iPhone 16.
The US version of Apple Intelligence has several elements and features that can’t be automatically transferred to the Asian nation.
The platform has three layers of AI in the United States: Apple features that are run solely on the devices themselves, Apple features that are powered by the company’s internet servers, and OpenAI chatbot capabilities that run on that company’s infrastructure.
While Apple will also use its own on-device AI models in China, Alibaba’s software will provide a layer allowing the censoring of material the government finds objectionable. (Without the user knowing, of course.)
While the U.S. version of Apple Intelligence combines on-device features, server-based processing, and ChatGPT integration, the Chinese version will rely heavily on its Chinese partners, with Alibaba’s software layer acting as a government-directed content filter.
The AI features that result from the Chinese partnership will only be available on Apple devices sold within China. While Apple has reportedly submitted materials to Chinese authorities for approval, it still faces some large regulatory hurdles before Apple Intelligence can be launched in the country.
