Apple Develops China-specific AI Model With Alibaba, Shifting From Third-party Strategy

The model is being trained with the support of Alibaba, said the sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. This is the first time Apple has been reported to train its own China-specific model. In China, where US-origin systems like Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT are unavailable, Apple had previously turned to local partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold there.

The sources said Apple Intelligence, the company's AI toolkit, is expected to become available in China in the coming months following an iOS update. Having a China-adapted model would give Apple more control over the AI experience in its most competitive overseas market, where it has been losing ground to local rivals like Huawei that offer AI-equipped devices. The planned deployment represents a unique dual strategy for a foreign company in China and could help navigate the heavy regulatory hurdles that limit access for many US tech firms.