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Apple reaches agreement with Chinese government on Apple Intelligence rollout

The new Siri and other Apple Intelligence features are currently only supported in the iOS 27 beta in English in a small number of countries, but Apple has promised that they will “quickly expand” to additional countries and languages.

China posed a particular challenge for the company as the law there only permits partnering with a Chinese AI company. A report today says that Apple has now reached agreement on this, and will be using two different models …

Reuters reports.

China’s cyberspace regulator said on ‌Wednesday that Apple’s on-device generative AI service “Apple Intelligence” has been registered for ​use on iPhones in the ​country. Apple’s intelligence services will incorporate ⁠capabilities from Baidu and Alibaba’s ​AI models, according to a source, ​who declined to be named.

Apple has not yet confirmed the report, but Alibaba has released a statement saying that its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple’s new operating systems.

It’s not yet known when the new Siri will launch in China, but this agreement should enable it to happen sooner rather than later.

Photo by Justin Zhu on Unsplash

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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