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Apple is reportedly working with local partners to bring Apple Intelligence to China later this year, including adaptations to comply with the Chinese government’s expectations of keeping iPhone users from seeing information it doesn’t want them to see.
The company is leaning on companies including Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu to adapt its artificial intelligence system to meet regulatory requirements and provide region-specific infrastructure, according to a Bloomberg report.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment, but Joe Tsai, chairman of Alibaba, confirmed during the the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday that the companies are joining forces.
“Apple has been very selective. They talked to a number of companies in China, and in the end, they choose to do business with us. They want to use our AI to power their phones,” he said.
The news comes as Apple looks to build momentum in China, its second-largest market, after it had seen a significant sales decline in the country. Rival companies continue to use advanced AI tools to lure customers away from the iPhone, many at more affordable price points.
At the same time, Apple is expected to launch a more advanced yet still affordable iPhone SE next week, in a move that could help it better compete in key markets such as China and India, where budget-friendly smartphones with premium features continue to gain traction.
Apple Intelligence, the China way
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is working with Alibaba to comply with government regulations by helping with censoring, filtering and blocking specific content to meet local standards.
Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly teaming up with Baidu to power other features including Visual Intelligence, which allows people to scan and learn more about objects around them via the device’s camera and information from the internet, and to replace the US version of ChatGPT integration in Siri.
Chinese law requires data to be processed on China-based servers rather than being sent to servers in other countries. It also requires companies to work with local partners to receive regulatory approval.
The company is expected to launch its adapted version of Apple Intelligence for China as early as May, the report said. The censorship will apply to iPhones and other devices sold only in China.
Apple has only rolled out Apple Intelligence to certain markets so far, including the US, Canada, UK and Australia, due to compliance and regulatory restrictions. However, the company is expected to release Apple Intelligence support for new languages, including Chinese, with iOS 18.4 in April.
