AI Ambitions in China: Apple and Baidu partnership on hold?

Apple and Baidu
Apple and Baidu

Hang in there with your pounding horses, iPhone fans! Although rumors have been swirling that Apple will be partnering with Chinese tech giant Baidu to introduce a new AI feature in iOS, a recent report may unsettle those who believe in it. News of a possible deal seems premature. The situation has not been finalized, according to some people close to it.

It’s also called “generative AI” because it allows your phone to create new pieces of work, like rapping lyrics or writing emails. But here’s the catch: In China, there is heavy regulation on the use of AI, with no models available in the market unless the government approves them. This is a testimonial to prove that Baidu’s Ernie bot can compete with the rest. While AI tools from Google and OpenAI, the former AI was a favorite among many iPhone users, are no longer usable in China.

Thus if Apple is a separate part then this can be negotiated with other countries. Discussions with Google and OpenAI indicate the potential of the USA market and a comprehensive AI strategy.

Apple hasn’t been uninvolved when it comes to Artificial Intelligence, however, as they have hinted at some exciting developments coming soon in the year. Following leaks via the upcoming iOS 18, various iPhone apps are speculated to have a variety of innovative AI features ranging from the simple Siri speech assistant on media to complex tools like Music and Pages. Well, we will have to wait until the Apple event in June as they announce their developer conference. All of this will happen in sequence over the next few months at the same pace we are already moving at!