Apple secretly trained its own AI model for China with Alibaba's help

Apple has trained a large language model specifically for China with support from Alibaba, adding another piece to its plan to bring Apple Intelligence to Chinese users. Three people familiar with the work said Alibaba helped Apple with the training process, while Apple and Alibaba did not comment on the project.

The China-specific model differs from Apple’s previous plan to rely on third-party Chinese AI models for generative AI features in the country. Services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are unavailable in mainland China, while Apple already offers ChatGPT integration through Apple Intelligence in supported regions.

Apple Intelligence is expected to reach China in the coming months through an iOS software update. Apple has not announced a specific release date for Chinese iPhone users.

China’s Cyberspace Administration registered Apple Intelligence on July 15, 2026, among seven on-device generative AI services for smartphones. Registration is required before generative AI services can be offered publicly in China, but the approval did not include a launch date.

Alibaba’s Qwen family of AI models is expected to be incorporated into Apple Intelligence on compatible iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Vision Pro devices in China. Alibaba confirmed the Qwen integration in July, while Baidu said it was also working with Apple on Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users.

Apple’s proprietary China model adds another element to that system. Details remain unavailable about the specific tasks assigned to Apple’s model, how it will work alongside Qwen, or where Baidu’s technology will fit into the final version released in China.

Apple had already introduced a more limited Qwen option for Mac users in mainland China. On Aug. 8, Apple published a Chinese-language guide explaining how eligible Mac users could connect Qwen to Siri and Writing Tools on Macs running macOS 26.6 or later.

The guide said users needed to activate the Qwen extension and sign in to a Qwen account. Siri could then use Qwen for more detailed responses, including analysis of photos and documents, while Writing Tools could use it to generate text or images from descriptions.

Apple later removed the guide without giving an explanation. The company did not provide further details about the availability of the Qwen integration described in the document.

Apple’s relationship with Alibaba had already become public in February 2025, when Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai confirmed that the companies were working together on AI features for iPhones in China. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Tsai said, “They talked to a number of companies in China. In the end they chose to do business with us.”

The China deployment would also make Apple the first foreign company approved by Beijing to offer a proprietary AI model in the country. Apple had previously planned to depend on AI models from domestic partners, while the newly disclosed Apple-trained model adds its own technology to the China-specific system.

Apple has also changed the technical foundation behind its AI services outside China. Apple and Google entered a multi-year partnership in January, with Google Gemini providing the technical foundation for future Apple Foundation Models.

Apple confirmed at WWDC 2026 that its next-generation Apple Foundation Models were custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models. Those models power integrated Apple Intelligence features through on-device processing and Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure.

ChatGPT also remains available as an Apple Intelligence extension in supported regions. Apple’s official documentation says Siri and other Apple Intelligence features can send eligible requests to ChatGPT, with user controls governing when information is shared.

Apple is separately preparing its rebuilt Siri AI for the iOS 27 generation of software. iOS 27 public beta 3 already includes the new Siri experience, while Apple says Siri AI will become available in beta later in 2026 for supported devices set to English.

Additional languages are planned after the initial beta release. Apple has not tied the China launch of Apple Intelligence to the wider Siri AI schedule.

Availability also differs by region. Apple said in June that Siri AI would not initially be available on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch in the European Union, while supported Macs and Vision Pro devices in the EU would have access.

China remained unavailable at that point while Apple worked through local regulatory requirements. The July 15 registration cleared one required regulatory step, but neither Apple nor Chinese regulators have announced when Apple Intelligence will become publicly available in the country.

Several technical details also remain undisclosed. Apple has not explained how its newly trained China model, Alibaba’s Qwen, and Baidu’s technology will divide tasks inside the China-specific version of Apple Intelligence once the service launches.

Camila Nogueira covers artificial intelligence, security and privacy with a focus on real-world usability. She writes about generative-AI tools including ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, alongside the everyday security decisions that come with them: data breaches, VPNs, password managers and the protections already built into the services people use. With a background in UX and content strategy, Camila explains what a tool or a risk actually means in practice — what it does well, where it breaks down, and whether it is worth the reader's time or attention. She is particularly interested in the point where new technology meets ordinary caution: how much to trust an AI answer, and how much protection is proportionate to the actual risk. Her security and privacy coverage is informational and independent, with no affiliate relationships influencing the products she discusses.