The partnerships and the models involved
Apple and Samsung Electronics are increasingly relying on large Chinese technology groups to power their artificial intelligence services in China. According to The Korea Herald, Apple has launched a collaboration with Alibaba Group, while Samsung is continuing its existing one with Baidu. The situation reflects the difficulty for foreign smartphone manufacturers: competing in the world's largest market for the sector means depending on local companies that could turn into rivals in the AI field.
On October 31, Alibaba announced the agreement with Apple to integrate the Qwen model into Apple Intelligence in China. Developer testing began on Wednesday and the public launch is scheduled for December via iOS 27.3. Qwen will support Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, enabling users to generate text and ask questions about photos and documents. Apple's proprietary models will continue to handle functions such as real-time translation and image editing, while next-generation Siri will not be included in the initial release. Industry sources cited by the newspaper indicate that Alibaba has developed technology to filter Apple's AI outputs according to Chinese content rules, but neither company has made the details public.
Samsung has collaborated with Baidu since January 2024 to localize Galaxy AI. While the Circle to Search feature on global Galaxy S24 models uses Google technology, the Chinese version relies on the Ernie model and Baidu's search capabilities. Chinese media reported in July that the collaboration had extended to the Galaxy S26 series. According to Baidu, the two companies have also worked on Chinese-language input, document summaries, Bixby and an AI call assistant capable of handling, if configured by the user, calls to couriers and food delivery services.
Why regulation pushes toward local partners
Chinese law does not explicitly require foreign smartphone manufacturers to collaborate with domestic AI providers, but according to industry experts these arrangements have become a practical way to meet regulatory requirements and adapt services to local consumers. China requires generative AI services aimed at the public to comply with content and security standards and to be registered with the authorities. In July, the internet regulator included Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI among seven registered AI services for smartphones.
Park Seung-chan, a professor of Chinese studies at Yongin University, told The Korea Herald that this is less a choice than a necessary condition for entering the Chinese market. Lee Sang-woo, an adjunct professor in the Department of AI and Data Law at Inha University, explained that local partnerships allow foreign companies to use infrastructure already adapted to China's regulatory environment.
Beyond compliance, the agreements could offer advantages related to access to Chinese digital ecosystems. Alibaba operates Taobao and Alipay, while Baidu has a strong position in Chinese search and mapping. Integrating AI with these platforms could make assistants more useful for daily activities such as shopping, payments and navigation. Lee cited Alibaba's Qwen app, which integrates Taobao and Alipay, as an example of the potential benefits, observing that competitiveness as perceived by Chinese consumers could depend not only on the model's performance but also on the smoothness of integration with such platforms. Neither Apple nor Samsung has confirmed plans to integrate these broader services into Apple Intelligence or Galaxy AI.
Different commercial interests and shared risks
The commercial stakes are very different for the two manufacturers. According to Counterpoint Research, smartphone shipments in China fell 10 percent year on year in the third quarter. Huawei Technologies led the market with a 21.3 percent share, followed by Apple at 19.5 percent; Samsung remained outside the top six. According to Park, for Apple this is a necessary tool to defend its market share. For Samsung, whose presence in China's smartphone sector is much smaller, maintaining ties with the country's production chain could matter more than an immediate recovery in sales: rather than aiming to increase sales right away, the important thing is to stay close to the supply chain.
The growing dependence on Chinese AI providers, however, entails risks, including a fragmented user experience across markets, regulatory uncertainty and reduced control over technology and data. Park warned that these companies are not just partners: even without producing smartphones, they could become competitors in AI services. Lee stressed that maintaining technological independence and effective control over data will be essential for long-term competitiveness. According to Park, finally, no major changes in market shares should be expected in a sector dominated by Apple and Chinese brands.
The technical details of the filtering system developed by Alibaba, which have not been made public by the parties, and the actual timing of the public launch of Apple Intelligence in China in December remain to be verified. The material also does not indicate whether the collaborations will be extended beyond the AI functions already mentioned.
