iPhone sales are facing challenges in China, where Apple has yet to introduce its Apple Intelligence features. However, according to a recent report from The Information, the company has secured a deal to introduce AI to the region.
Apple partners with Alibaba to develop AI features for the Chinese market
Qianer Liu and Jing Yang have released a new report for The Information (subscription required) detailing Apple’s strategy to incorporate AI in China.
The American technology giant has formed a partnership with Alibaba, a major Chinese firm, to implement Apple Intelligence features across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac within China.
Owing to regulatory restrictions from the Chinese government, Apple must collaborate with a local company to launch AI features in the country.
Apple has announced that support for Apple Intelligence in Chinese will be included in iOS 18.4, set to launch this April. This will be a significant step towards providing comprehensive AI functionality in the region.
However, the company has not disclosed any detailed plans regarding the introduction of AI in China thus far.
Interestingly, the report indicates that Apple evaluated models from DeepSeek in its quest to implement AI in the country, but ultimately chose not to incorporate them into the rollout.
Additionally, The Information previously mentioned that Apple was also collaborating with Baidu to enhance AI capabilities in China. Apple Intelligence covers a wide range of AI functionalities, including writing tools, image creation, and smart assistant capabilities. It is likely that the company is partnering with various Chinese firms to address different elements of its AI feature set.
This report further illustrates Apple’s progress in introducing Apple Intelligence to one of its most crucial markets. We hope the company can move swiftly to enable AI capabilities as it strives to recover its declining iPhone market share in China.
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