Apple is preparing to launch its on-device AI service, Apple Intelligence, in mainland China in December, Bloomberg News reported on Oct. 15.
The report said China is among Apple's most important markets. Apple is nearing a China launch 2 years after rolling out Apple Intelligence in most countries, including the United States.
Apple had to go through local approval procedures to release Apple Intelligence in China. It was also required to cooperate with a local company to introduce AI functions.
China's internet regulator approved Apple's AI service, in addition to on-device AI services released by Chinese smartphone makers, under generative AI rules in July.
The China version of Apple Intelligence will include safeguards Apple developed with Alibaba Group. New Siri AI based on Google Gemini will be excluded due to local regulations. Apple's own image-generation tools, such as Image Playground, will also be left out.
Chi-gyu Hwang (황치규)
delight@d-today.co.kr