Apple AI tools come to China after two-year delay

Apple has initiated a trial rollout of its AI features, known as "Apple Intelligence," in China, two years after initially planning to introduce them. Beijing is a significant market for Apple, and this move allows the company to compete with local smartphone manufacturers. The AI features, first introduced in the United States and other countries in autumn 2024, were initially held back due to strict Chinese regulatory requirements and the unavailability of models from Google and OpenAI in the country.

Apple plans to partner with Alibaba's Qwen to provide more advanced AI features alongside its current basic AI offerings. The trial rollout is currently limited to developers, but public access in China is expected in December. This development comes as Chinese regulations require AI service providers to register with the country's internet watchdog and use local data centers.

Apple only received regulatory approval in July after discussions with Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance, and Tencent. Despite Apple's announcement of a 21% increase in revenue in the Greater China region, the company still faces challenges in the evolving Chinese market, according to industry analysts.