Apple China AI strategy adds its own model training, Alibaba supports large language model training

Reuters reports that Apple is taking a new approach to introducing artificial intelligence capabilities to Chinese users, training its own large-scale language model with the assistance of Alibaba. Three sources described the China-exclusive model as a departure from Apple's strategy of relying on third-party models, with Alibaba reportedly supporting model training, but neither company commented. Reasons for market restrictions in China Models such as ChatGPT and Claude are currently unavailable in mainland China, making Apple’s strategy in China temporarily different from other major markets. Alibaba confirmed its cooperation with Apple in February 2025, and China’s Internet regulator later registered Apple Intelligence for iPhone use. Third-party model integration is unclear. Previous reports stated that Alibaba’s Qwen model and Baidu’s technology will be integrated into the localization system. Reuters says it's unclear how Apple's new model will work in parallel with these third-party models; Apple Intelligence is reportedly expected to come to China with an iOS update in the coming months. New version of Siri coming in the fall Apple's significantly updated Siri AI is scheduled to be released to the public this fall with iOS 27 in regions where it is available. The new version of Siri initially only supports specific English language versions, and the availability of iPhone and iPad in the EU is delayed, and the launch time in China has not been confirmed. Source