Apple to introduce its AI features in China by May 2025, but users will experience a censored version powered by Alibaba.
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| Apple partners with Alibaba to launch Apple Intelligence in China, with censorship layers to comply with government regulations. Image/ Illustration: ChicHue |
Beijing, China — February 15, 2025:
Apple has reached an agreement with Alibaba to bring its Apple Intelligence system to China, but with significant conditions imposed by the Chinese government. According to a Bloomberg report, the tech giant will allow Alibaba to manipulate the AI's output to comply with local censorship requirements.
Apple Intelligence, an AI system built to operate on devices and in the cloud via Private Cloud Compute, is designed to prioritize user privacy. However, in China, the system will have an additional layer from Alibaba to filter and censor content in accordance with government regulations. This includes ensuring that information deemed sensitive or undesirable by the authorities is removed or altered before reaching users.
The integration of Alibaba's censorship layer is critical for Apple to introduce its AI features in the Chinese market. While the core functions of Apple Intelligence will remain unchanged outside of China, users within the country will experience a sanitized version. The partnership will also impact other features like Visual Intelligence, which uses Baidu as a substitute for Google to allow image searches.
Private Cloud Compute services will need to be hosted on local servers, and Apple devices purchased in China will be the only ones enabled with Apple Intelligence. This AI feature is set for launch by May 2025, but foreign phones will lack the system entirely.
Apple's decision to cooperate with Alibaba underscores the balancing act companies must perform to navigate strict regulations in global markets. In China, this move allows Apple to tap into a potentially lucrative AI-driven smartphone market while adhering to the country's censorship laws.