Apple reportedly partners with Alibaba after rejecting DeepSeek for China AI launch

According to a report published Tuesday by The Information, Apple is partnering Alibaba to bring its Apple Intelligence platform to China. The deal is said to arrive after the iPhone maker reportedly explored – but ultimately rejected – a potential partnership with uber-buzzy AI startup, DeepSeek, as well as with Bytedance.

Apple initially selected Baidu as its partner in bringing Apple Intelligence to its customers in China, but issues adapting the Chinese search giant’s models were apparently too great to overcome.

While China has been a key market for the company, the flagship feature has yet to debut in the world’s largest smartphone market. CEO Tim Cook cited the lack of Apple Intelligence as a driving force behind a recent 11% iPhone sales decline in China. Domestic phone makers including Huawei have rushed in to fill that vacuum.

The new report arrives ahead of Apple’s anticipated fourth-generation iPhone SE launch. The budget-focused handset has historically been a key driver for iPhone sales in both China and India, the world’s first and second largest smartphone markets, respectively.

Apple previously partnered with OpenAI for Apple Intelligence’s U.S. launch. That deal adds ChatGPT access to the Siri smart assistant. Apple has also stated that it is open to additional partnerships, including Google’s Gemini.