According to reports, Apple is looking at local AI partners in China since Apple Intelligence may run into regulatory issues

It has been claimed that Apple has discussed bringing Baidu, Alibaba Group, and Baichuan AI on board as AI partners.

During the most recent Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, Apple revealed a plethora of new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for its iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. The chatbot ChatGPT from OpenAI and the in-house AI model known as Apple Intelligence from the Cupertino-based tech firm will enable these AI functionalities. However, a source points out that if the corporation want to implement these features in the area, it would need to search for local AI providers since none of these AI models is likely to get approval from the Chinese government.

Apple is looking at Chinese local AI partners.

The Wall Street Journal said that Apple has already started talks to locate a qualified local AI partner in China to power its creative AI features. The article, which cited anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation, said that the IT behemoth is now in negotiations with Alibaba Group, the world's largest online retailer, Baidu, China's top search engine, and Being-based startup Baichuan AI.

It was purportedly done to avoid regulatory issues with the Chinese government by choosing a local AI partner. Every AI model that operates inside the nation must first apply for government clearance. Any big language model trained on text, picture, and video datasets is subject to this rule. It is claimed that the screening procedure removes any possible chatbots with the ability to sway public opinion.

According to the research, up to March 2024, Chinese watchdogs authorized 117 distinct generative AI products; however, none of these products were produced outside of China. Therefore, it is thought unlikely that Apple Intelligence will pass the clearance procedure.

Samsung is one example; starting with the Galaxy S24 series, the company unveiled Galaxy AI, a package of artificial intelligence capabilities for smartphones. Google's Circle for Search, Live Translation, Photo Generative Editing, AI Interpreter, and other features are among the noteworthy ones. But although Google's Gemini AI and Samsung's own AI model enable these AI capabilities across the rest of the globe, they aren't accessible in China.

The article claims that Samsung and Baidu collaborated to enable text-based capabilities like Circle to Search, text summarization, and other functions. For the AI picture editing tools, it also collaborated with Meitu, an image editing platform.

Apple is already seen as a latecomer to the AI competition. In addition to competing with companies like Oppo and Huawei that have already started delivering AI capabilities to its consumers, the firm is now rushing to choose an AI partner in China in order to guarantee a timely delivery of the features as the rest of the globe.