Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker's generative AI offering, has received regulatory approval in China, according to Reuters. The Cyberspace Administration of China approved Apple's AI services in the country, following a deal to integrate Alibaba's Qwen AI model into Apple's operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. This marks a significant step for Apple's AI ambitions in a key market, where sales in Greater China rose 28% to $20.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
The integration of Qwen into Apple Intelligence was reportedly in the works since last year, but faced delays due to challenges adapting models for Chinese customers. Prior to the Alibaba deal, Apple had explored partnerships with Baidu, DeepSeek, and ByteDance, but encountered issues with model adaptation. Alibaba confirmed the integration would include AI capabilities like 'text and image understanding and generation,' though no timeframe was provided. The deal also contributed to a 4% rise in Alibaba's U.S. shares during pre-market trading, with the stock up over 6% as of publication.
Apple recently regained the No. 2 position in China's smartphone market following discounts during a shopping festival. The approval of Apple Intelligence for the Chinese market represents a strategic move to enhance its AI capabilities and compete more effectively in a region where it has faced challenges in deploying its AI features.
Source: techcrunch
