Apple has officially partnered with Alibaba to bring Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone in China, reports 9to5Mac.
Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai confirmed the deal on Thursday. Apple Intelligence in China will rely on Alibaba’s Qwen model, satisfying the Chinese government’s preference for a China-based AI model.
Alibaba is one of the world’s largest retailers and e-commerce companies. In 2020, it was also rated as the fifth-largest artificial intelligence company. The article says Apple and Alibaba have submitted the co-developed AI features for regulatory approval, with the hope that they can be brought to iPhones in a future iOS update.
It was reported in December that Apple ws facing a roadblock in launching Apple Intelligence in China, with regulators cautioning that foreign companies face a “difficult and long process” for approval unless they partner with local firms.
The article reported that a senior official at the Cyberspace Administration of China says foreign device makers will find a “simple and straightforward approval process” IF they utilize already-approved large language models (LLMs) from Chinese companies, rather than attempting to implement their own AI systems.
In Apple’s words, “Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks while taking an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI.”
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
