Apple choose the'artificial intelligence di Baidu for China. The Cupertino company is thus relying on "Chinese Google" to sell its next iPhones in the country in response to local government restrictions and to simplify control processes. Baidu, will provide generative artificial intelligence models of ErnieBot, its chatbot, to power both the iPhone 16 (coming next fall) and Apple's iOS 18 operating system. This move reflects the need to adapt to Beijing regulations which prohibit the use of Western artificial intelligence.
No problem however in the rest of the world, where Apple's choice seems to be fallout on Google's artificial intelligence, Gemini. The bitten apple company is currently engaged in "advanced negotiations" with Alphabet, Google's parent company, to directly integrate Gemini into the next iPhone. The new features could debut with the iOS 18 operating system, expected later this year and potentially unveiled at the Global Developer Conference in June.
Chinese AI the only solution for selling in China
Baidu and its ErnieBot they will then be used for power the next iPhones sold in China in order to “solve legal compliance issues”. She explained it Cailian Press, a Securities Times affiliate, which also noted that Apple had considered Alibaba before settling on Baidu. The news led to a 5% rise in the Chinese tech company's shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, confirmed during the China Development Forum in Beijing that the company will continue to increase investments in research and development in China.
In China, AI models must be approved by government bodies, and so far only about 40 of them have gained approval. Gemini, for example, has not yet been approved, probably due to the restrictions imposed by the "Great Firewall" which blocks the US giant's services in China. OpenAI's ChatGPT has also not yet received approval from Chinese authorities.
Baidu AI leader in China
Baidu is considered one of the leaders in artificial intelligence in China, where startups and tech giants are investing billions in developing an answer to ChatGPT.
It's a difficult period for Apple
2024 is proving to be a difficult year for Apple. Before theXNUMX-XNUMX business days inflicted on the company a record fine of 1,8 billion euros for unfair practices in the music streaming market. Shortly after United States have filed a lawsuit against the Cupertino company, accusing it of a monopoly in the smartphone industry that would stifle competition and limit consumer choice. But Even in China things are no better. Here in the first six weeks of 2024, the iPhone sales plunged 24% causing Apple to slip to fourth place in the market, with a 15% share, from its previous second place with 19%.
Apple has decided to concentrate its efforts on Artificial Intelligence, also abandoning the electric car sector because it aims to catch up with its main competitor, Microsoft which thanks to ChatGPT's AI recently surpassed the company in terms of market capitalization.
