Apple's training of its own China-specific model has not been reported before. The company had previously leaned towards domestic partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in China, where U.S. models such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple pairs with its own technology in its home market, are not available.
Apple and Alibaba did not respond to requests for comment.
Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI tools, is expected to launch in China in the coming months after an update to its iOS operating system, the people said.
A China-tailored model of its own would give Apple greater control over the AI experience in its most competitive overseas market, where it has lost ground to local rivals including Huawei that have raced ahead with AI-equipped handsets.
Apple's planned rollout represents a unique dual-track strategy on AI deployment for a foreign firm in China, which would allow it to navigate steep regulatory hurdles that have limited access for many other U.S. technology firms.
It would also make Apple the first foreign company approved by Beijing to offer a proprietary AI model in China, marking a rare collaboration by U.S. and Chinese tech firms amid a widening trade and diplomatic rift between the two countries over AI.
REGULATORY HURDLES CLEARED BUT UNCERTAINTY REMAINS
After a long regulatory process that wrapped up last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, approved Apple’s generative AI service, paving the way for Apple Intelligence to debut on Chinese iPhones for the first time.
Under this arrangement, Alibaba's Qwen model will be integrated into the version of Apple Intelligence included with compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro models in China, with the service also set to feature technology from Baidu, according to a July report from Reuters.