Apple Mac Support Documentation Mentions Alibaba's Qianwen AI Model
Apple's support documentation for Mac computers in China has been updated, now listing Alibaba's Qianwen AI model as compatible with Apple Intelligence.
Apple has updated its simplified Chinese support documentation for Mac computers, revealing that the "Apple Intelligence" feature can now work with Alibaba's Qianwen AI model. The update indicates a step towards integrating third-party AI capabilities into Apple's ecosystem within China.
The Qianwen extension is available for Mac models running macOS 26.6 or later. However, users must be located in mainland China, and their Apple account country or region, as well as their Mac model version, must also be set to mainland China.
Users can configure the Qianwen extension through the "System Settings" app, navigating to "Apple Intelligence & Siri" and then to "Extensions." To use the extension, users need to log in with a Qianwen account, which can also be created using Apple's login service.
The Qianwen extension supports writing tools and Siri integration. The writing tools allow users to create and edit text within applications like Notes and Mail. Siri can leverage the Qianwen extension to find additional information or fulfill requests, such as writing a poem or summarizing a document, provided Siri determines Qianwen would be helpful for the task.
This integration follows recent approvals for generative AI services in China, including "Apple Intelligence." Apple CEO Tim Cook had previously confirmed that Apple had received approval to launch its initial Apple Intelligence features in China. Alibaba has stated that Qianwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence to provide Chinese users with text and image understanding and content generation capabilities directly on Apple devices.