Apple’s much-anticipated Apple Intelligence is reportedly nearing its launch in mainland China, with a system update expected in December. According to a report by Bloomberg, the rollout will coincide with the release of iOS 27.3, bringing AI features that were initially launched in the US two years ago to iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Notably, the brand-new Siri AI assistant, unveiled this year, will not be part of this initial release in China. The service has already cleared regulatory hurdles, with generative AI service filing completed on July 8th and an official go-ahead received on September 29th.
Baidu: Powering Search and Siri Features
In its pursuit to integrate AI capabilities within the Chinese market, Apple has partnered with Baidu for search and Siri-related functionalities. This collaboration aligns with earlier reports from July, which indicated that Baidu’s software services would be embedded within Siri voice assistant and Visual Intelligence features. Further evidence emerged from code analysis of the iOS 27 Beta 2 firmware, which revealed a new module named ‘Baidu Visual Search’, pointing towards the integration of advanced visual search capabilities. This move is consistent with Baidu’s long-standing expertise in the visual search domain.
Alibaba: Enhancing AI Model Integration
Reports also suggest that Alibaba will play a crucial role in integrating its AI models into Apple Intelligence for Chinese users. This integration is expected to offer intelligent experiences, including text and image understanding, and content generation, across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. The permit obtained on September 29th specifically covers both Apple Intelligence and Alibaba’s AI models, namely Tongyi Qianwen (通义万相) and Qwen. Apple Intelligence itself is described as a system-level personal intelligence framework, leveraging both on-device models with 3 billion parameters and high-performance cloud-based models. Its capabilities include text proofreading, image generation, search enhancements, and cross-application operations.
Siri AI’s Gradual Rollout
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced significant upgrades to Siri, rebranding it as ‘Siri AI’ and equipping it with enhanced conversational depth, deeper system integration, screen content comprehension, and application interaction capabilities. The features rolling out in China represent the foundational set of these upgraded functionalities.
It’s important to note that the initial launch in China will feature a set of capabilities that are relatively basic compared to what was announced recently. Sources familiar with the matter indicate that Apple’s management is not optimistic about the immediate release of the new Siri AI in China. A similar situation is unfolding in the European market, where Siri AI has not yet been launched, and the timeline for approval remains uncertain. This phased approach suggests a strategic effort by Apple to navigate the specific regulatory and market landscape in China while gradually introducing its advanced AI features.
