Apple Trains China AI Model with Alibaba's Help

Apple has trained its own large language model for China with support from Alibaba. This marks a change from its previous reliance on outside partners in this key market. What's interesting is that this system could make Apple the first foreign company approved by Beijing to run its own proprietary AI model in the country. Apple Intelligence is set to reach Chinese iPhones through an iOS update in the coming months. Three people familiar with the matter confirm Apple trained the system itself, with Alibaba providing technical help. This approach differs from earlier plans to use Chinese partners for generative AI features on local devices. Regulators cleared Apple's generative AI service last month, along with systems from Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo. Apple plans to operate its own model alongside third-party technology, including Alibaba's Qwen, with Baidu also expected to contribute. The bottom line is that this proprietary model gives Apple a unique position, as other major AI services like OpenAI's ChatGPT are unavailable in China.