Chinese authorities have approved the introduction of 'Apple Intelligence,' possibly utilizing Alibaba's AI 'Qwen.'
The Chinese government has approved Apple Intelligence, a personal AI for iPhones. Apple Intelligence was announced in 2024, but approval for its introduction in China had been delayed due to tensions with the United States.
China approves Apple Intelligence for iPhones, with Alibaba, Baidu emerging as partners | South China Morning Post
Apple Intelligence AI service registered with Chinese cyberspace regulator | Reuters
Alibaba stock rises after Apple inks deal to use Qwen AI models
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/15/alibaba-qwen-ai-apple-intelligence.html
Apple Intelligence Finally Cleared to Launch in China - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/15/apple-intelligence-cleared-to-launch-in-china/
Apple Intelligence is a personal AI that utilizes OpenAI's ChatGPT and GPT-4o technologies, and one of its key features is that Siri works in conjunction with ChatGPT to provide detailed answers to a variety of questions.
Apple announces new personal AI 'Apple Intelligence,' and partners with OpenAI to add ChatGPT support for Siri - GIGAZINE
On July 15, 2026, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China's regulatory authority, notified the approval of Apple Intelligence's licensing. Alibaba and Baidu were listed as technology partners.
An Alibaba representative reportedly told the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post that 'for users in China, the large-scale language model 'Qwen' will be integrated into the Apple Intelligence experience on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS.' A Baidu representative also stated that they are collaborating with Apple on developing AI features for Apple Intelligence.
However, CAC has stated that the license is 'for iPhone,' and it is unclear whether Apple Intelligence will be available on iPads and Macs as well.
Apple has not commented on this matter.
The only companies licensed to provide AI services outside of China are Apple Intelligence and Samsung's Galaxy AI, while the others are all Chinese companies: Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE. Of these, ZTE is an AI service partner of ByteDance, the company that operates TikTok.
CAC explains that the purpose of this licensing agreement is 'to promote the innovative development and regulatory-based use of generative AI services.'
While licensing has made Apple Intelligence available in China, the service is expected to take some time to launch, possibly in late 2026 or early 2027.
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in AI, Posted by logc_nt