Apple unveiled a host of new artificial intelligence (AI) features for its iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices at the recently held Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. These AI features will be powered by the Cupertino tech giant’s in-house artificial intelligence model called Apple Intelligence and OpenAI- chatbot ChatGPT. However, the report highlights that none of these AI models may receive approval from the Chinese government and the company will need to look to local AI providers if it wants to introduce these features in the region.
Apple is exploring local AI partners in China
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple has already begun discussions to find a suitable local AI partner in China to power its generative AI features. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the report claims the tech giant is currently in talks with Chinese search engine major Baidu, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and Being-based startup Baichuan AI.
The decision to choose a local AI partner was reportedly made to avoid regulatory conflicts with the Chinese government. All AI models operating in the country must first seek approval from the government. This rule applies to any large language model trained on text, image, and video databases. The vetting process is said to filter out any potential chatbots that can influence public opinion.
The report reveals that China’s watchdogs have approved 117 different generative AI products by March 2024, but none of them were developed outside of China. As such, the chances of Apple Intelligence making it through the approval process are considered slim.
An example is Samsung, which introduced Galaxy AI, its suite of AI features for smartphones, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. Some of the notable features include Google’s Circle to Search, Live Translate, Generative Edit for Photos, AI Interpreter and more. However, while in the rest of the world these AI features are powered by Samsung’s in-house AI model and Google’s Gemini AI, neither is available in China.
According to the publication, Samsung has partnered with Baidu to power features such as Circle to Search, text summarization and other text-based features. It has also partnered with image editing platform Meitu for AI photo editing features.
Apple is already considered a latecomer to the AI race. While the company is now scrambling to pick an AI partner in China to ensure timely feature releases like the rest of the world, it also has to compete with companies like Oppo and Huawei that have already started delivering AI features to their users.
