Apple Intelligence to Launch in China in December Using Alibaba Models
Apple is reportedly planning to launch its Apple Intelligence AI features in mainland China in December. The rollout will integrate Alibaba's AI models.
Apple is preparing to introduce Apple Intelligence features to mainland China in December with the release of iOS 27.3. This launch follows a significant regulatory approval process and will bring an initial suite of AI capabilities to Chinese users.
The Chinese version of Apple Intelligence will leverage Alibaba's Qwen and Tongyi Wanxiang models. Additionally, Apple is collaborating with Baidu for search and Siri-related functionalities. The company secured necessary permits on September 29, allowing recent iPhone models to support these AI integrations.
Early features will include writing tools, notification summaries, Genmoji, and the Clean Up photo-editing tool. Notably, the redesigned Siri AI assistant and Apple's Image Playground image-generation tool are not expected to be part of this initial December rollout.