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Apple is partnering with Alibaba to develop and roll out AI features for iPhone users in China, The Information reported Tuesday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the decision.
The Cupertino-based company and Alibaba have submitted the Chinese AI functions they co-developed to the Chinese cyberspace regulator for approval, according to the report.
Apple began testing various AI models from Chinese developers in 2023 and selected Baidu as its main partner, the report said, citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
However, the collaboration was later terminated because Baidu's progress in developing its models for Apple Intelligence did not meet the US company's standards, the report said.
In recent months, the iPhone maker began to consider other options and reviewed models developed by Tencent, ByteDance, Alibaba and Deepseek, the report added.
Apple ultimately rejected Deepseek's models because the Deepseek team lacked the manpower and experience needed to service a large customer like Apple, the report said.