Alibaba AI models cleared for use in Apple Intelligence in China just in time for the iPhone Duo launch
Apple’s integrated AI system is still yet to be rolled out in mainland China, despite launching nearly two years ago.
Apple Intelligence will soon be making its way to supported iPhone models in China, as the country reportedly rubber stamps the use of Alibaba AI models to power the technology.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, which is owned by the Alibaba Group, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has given regulatory approval for Tongyi Qianwen, the group of LLMs better known as Qwen, as well as the Tongyi Wanxiang AI-generated image and video tool.
Apple had already received clearance to roll out Apple Intelligence on the Chinese mainland back in July, but the South China Morning Post's report says it has not yet done so. The updated filings include network access permits for the iPhone Duo and 18 Pro, with the former set to launch in China next week with the new and improved Siri AI as one of its flagship software features.
Much of Apple Intelligence's feature set is already available in Hong Kong, but the mainland's complex AI and privacy laws have required Apple to be patient about bringing what is now a core feature to one of its fastest-growing markets. It will seemingly now arrive almost exactly two years after it launched in the US, where Apple has worked with both Google and OpenAI to train its models and hand off complex questions.
Reports that Apple would seek to work with Chinese AI firms for a workaround to bring Apple Intelligence to the country first emerged as far back as early 2025, with Alibaba named at the time. Back in the summer, it was confirmed that Qwen would be central to Apple Intelligence in compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro models that it sells to its Chinese customers.