Apple Intelligence approved in China with Alibaba’s Qwen, Baidu AI integration

Apple's Apple Intelligence AI service has been registered with China's Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), marking a major regulatory milestone that moves the company closer to launching its generative AI features in mainland China.

China requires companies to register large language models (LLMs) and generative AI services with regulators before making them available to the public.

As reported by Reuters, CAC as officially approved and registered Apple’s generative AI platforms, paving the way for the long-anticipated rollout of the service in the country.

As reported by Reuters, Apple Intelligence will incorporate capabilities from AI models developed by Baidu and Alibaba, a source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The development could help bolster Apple's position in China, where consumers have been waiting for the rollout of Apple Intelligence.

Alibaba said in a ‌statement to Reuters that its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence across Apple's iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), Mac (macOS) and Vision Pro (visionOS) operating systems in China.

Apple is also working with Baidu to develop Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users, a Baidu spokesperson said.

Notably, the regulator's statement did not announce a launch date for Apple Intelligence in China yet.