Apple change pace on theartificial intelligence in ChinaThe Cupertino group would have trained his own model linguistic system specifically designed for the Chinese market, developing it with the support from AlibabaThis choice would mark a turning point compared to the strategy followed until now, which was based mainly on the integration of models created by local partners. This was reported by Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Apple and Alibaba declined to comment. Apple Intelligence is expected to debut in the country in the coming months, via an iOS update.
An Apple model to regain ground in China
Having an internally developed model would allow Apple to have a greater control on the artificial intelligence functions offered on devices sold in China, one of the most important and at the same time most difficult international markets for the group.
In recent years, Apple has had to contend with the growth of local manufacturers, starting with Huawei, which have accelerated the integration of AI into smartphones. The lack of Apple Intelligence on Chinese iPhones has been cited as one of the factors that has affected the group's competitiveness, while local users could already count on assistants and generative services integrated into competitors' devices.
The Chinese solution also assumes a different shape Compared to what Apple has adopted in other markets, where the company can combine its own technology with American models like ChatGPT. Services of this type are not available in China, and Cupertino has had to develop a specific strategy to comply with Beijing's regulations.
Regulatory approval, Qwen remains in the game
A decisive step came on July 15, when the Cyberspace Administration of China ha Apple Intelligence registered among the generative artificial intelligence services intended for devices marketed in the country. In China, services based on large linguistic models must in fact be registered with the authorities before they can be made available to the public.
The project does not exclude the role of local partners, however. Alibaba confirmed to Reuters that its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro for the Chinese market. Baidu is also collaborating with Apple to develop some features for users in the country.
The partnership with Alibaba had been made public as early as February 2025 by the Chinese group's president, Joe Tsai: "They spoke with several companies in China. In the end, they chose to do business with us," he explained.
It remains to be seen how the new model trained directly by Apple will complement Qwen and Baidu's technologies. If the project proceeds as planned, Cupertino could enter the Chinese market with a much more autonomous AI solution than expected, specifically built to overcome local regulatory constraints and attempt to gain ground in the AI race.
