According to a report, Apple (AAPL) trained its own large language model specifically for customers in China, rather than relying solely on third-party platform partners as it has in the past. The move is significant given China has been a soft spot for Apple's AI push. Chinese iPhone owners haven't had access to Apple Intelligence, and that gap has made it easier for rivals like Huawei to win over buyers who want AI features built into their phones.
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Let's break it down. reported that Apple built the China-specific model with support from Alibaba (BABA), the Chinese e-commerce and cloud giant. Three people familiar with the matter told the outlet that this has never been reported before, and Apple did not confirm it when asked for comment. Until now, Apple has mostly relied on partner companies to power AI features for iPhones sold in China, as U.S.-based models like Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple uses in other markets, are not available there under Chinese rules.
Training its own model gives Apple more say over how the AI experience looks and feels on Chinese devices. It also sets up a dual-track approach: Apple's model working alongside outside technology, a strategy that could help it clear regulatory hurdles that have tripped up other American tech companies trying to operate in China. The timing aligns with a major regulatory win. explained: Last month, China's Cyberspace Administration registered Apple's generative AI service.
The approval opens the door for Apple Intelligence to finally reach Chinese iPhones. Under the current plan, Alibaba's Qwen model will be built into the version of Apple Intelligence that ships on eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro devices in China. Reports also point to Baidu (BIDU) technology being part of the mix.
Apple briefly published, then quietly removed, a Chinese-language guide showing Mac users how to connect Qwen to Siri and Writing Tools, without explaining why it took the page down. Apple could become the first foreign company Beijing allows to offer its own proprietary AI model in China. It is a rare bit of cooperation between a U.S. tech giant and Chinese regulators at a time when AI has become a flashpoint in trade tensions between the two countries.
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