Apple Partners With Alibaba on China AI Model — SkimNews
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- Apple trained a custom AI model for China in partnership with Alibaba, departing from its previous strategy of using domestic Chinese models in the country.
- The Alibaba partnership is described as a rare US-China collaboration that comes amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington over AI development.
- Apple Intelligence was registered with China's cyberspace regulator last month, with rollout planned "in the coming months after an iOS update."
- China's cyberspace regulator requires AI models to be registered and cleared before public release — if approved, Apple would be the first US company cleared to offer a proprietary AI model there.
- The custom model gives Apple more control over its products in China's competitive smartphone market, where US AI services like OpenAI's ChatGPT aren't available.
Why it matters: Apple stands to become the first US company cleared to offer a proprietary AI model in China, where every AI model must pass government registration before public release. By building the model with Alibaba rather than relying on third-party Chinese providers, Apple gains direct control over Apple Intelligence's rollout in the world's largest smartphone market.
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