Apple Intelligence: Continue to wait for China
Apple cannot adopt the US version of its AI system in the People's Republic. Now there is new news about negotiations with Baidu and Alibaba.
Apple Intelligence logo and icon.
(Image: Apple)
Depending on the count and quarter, China is Apple's second or third most important market after the USA. Nevertheless, the company has not yet succeeded in bringing its in-house AI system, Apple Intelligence, to the Middle Kingdom. However, the idea has not been abandoned: according to a new report, negotiations with large Chinese internet companies are continuing.
Problems with regulation
Apple cannot bring Apple Intelligence with its AI models, including additional support for ChatGPT, to the People's Republic, as the local internet regulator does not allow this. Instead, the iPhone manufacturer is forced to look for local partners. While it was recently said that this could work out by the summer, September has now arrived. However, as the financial news agency Bloomberg wrote on Sunday, Apple's attempts are continuing.
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The basic idea is apparently to use Alibaba as a kind of “censorship machine” that controls the output of Apple's on-device models. The government in Beijing, for example, does not want the AI to spit out information about the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 or make disrespectful comments about the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Finally, in a second stage, Baidu is to become a kind of replacement for OpenAI's ChatGPT, which is not officially approved in China, and also replace Google in the visual intelligence function.
Concerns from Beijing and Washington
According to Bloomberg, however, an activation failed as part of an iOS 18 update in the middle of the year. According to Bloomberg information, the Chinese cyber authority put on the brakes, and there were also “concerns” from the US government. But Apple is not giving up. “The company still has teams working hard to bring Apple Intelligence to China.” The country is too big a market to ignore. Customers could switch to other devices that already have their AI functions.
According to the report, it is now planned to release the function in China before the end of the year, possibly with iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2. However, a further delay is also conceivable. After all, tests with Apple employees in China are already underway. There is also still cooperation with Alibaba and other AI providers in the country. The topic is considered an important sales argument for the iPhone 17, which is to be unveiled on Tuesday.
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(bsc)
