Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba’s support, sources say

Apple has reportedly constructed a unique large language model tailored for the China market, according to three sources familiar with the development. This marks a shift from the tech giant's prior approach of utilizing third-party models to power AI features within the country. The AI system was jointly created by Apple and Alibaba Group, and received support from the Chinese tech company during the training phase, sources said, without disclosing their identities due to the sensitive nature of the information.

This development is unprecedented for Apple, who previously relied on domestic partners' models to integrate generative AI into their products sold in China, an area where U.S. models like Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple utilizes alongside its own technology in its home market, are unavailable.