While China was very resistant to Apple’s AI, particularly because of the native integration of ChatGPT, a new chapter is opening for Apple in China with the upcoming deployment of Apple Intelligence. But this arrival, planned for 2025, already raises many questions regarding data confidentiality and quality of service.
A complex partnership with Baidu
The Chinese giant Baidu, already a historic partner of Apple for Safari and Siri in China, has been confirmed as the supplier of the artificial intelligence model. His model Ernie 4.0 will be at the heart of the system, but integration poses serious technical challenges. Engineers from both companies are particularly struggling to adapt the model to the specific needs of iPhone users, with difficulty understanding common queries and providing relevant responses.
Unlike Apple’s partnerships with other AI providers like OpenAI, this collaboration with Baidu involves fees for Apple, which must pay for the use of the model and cover the costs of adaptation for the iPhone.
Major privacy concerns
The most worrying point concerns the protection of personal data. Baidu wants to collect and analyze data from iPhone users to improve its model, an approach at odds with Apple’s privacy philosophy. This situation highlights Apple’s constant dilemma in China: maintaining its data protection standards while adapting to local requirements. As a reminder, no American company currently offers its AI model in China, not even Google with Gemini on Android.
For Apple, the stakes are crucial in this market which represents its third most important in terms of sales. Faced with growing competition from local brands like Huawei, which already offer advanced AI features, Apple must find the right balance between innovation and privacy protection. The American company will therefore be forced to comply with all of China’s demands if it wants to remain competitive and continue to operate in this immense market.
This situation perfectly illustrates the challenges Apple faces in deploying its AI services internationally, with different approaches depending on the region. While the launch of Apple Intelligence is scheduled for April 2025 in Europe with the standard model, the Chinese version could represent a significantly different – and above all controlled – experience for local users.
