China has approved Alibaba’s AI models for use in several iPhone models, clearing a hurdle for Apple to launch Apple Intelligence in the country after delays.

Updated network access permits from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology list Apple Intelligence, Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen, and Tongyi Wanxiang for the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and some earlier iPhone models.

Alibaba, based in Hangzhou, develops the Tongyi Qianwen family of large language models and Tongyi Wanxiang for AI-generated images and videos.

The filing adds detail on the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable phone, ahead of its China release next week.

China requires security reviews and algorithm filings before AI features can be released to the public.

Apple was training its own AI model for China with Alibaba’s support, rather than relying only on the global version of Apple Intelligence, according to sources.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

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