For the iPhone 16 series, Apple is allegedly considering Chinese AI

Baidu is a Chinese internet company that is well-known for its Baidu ERNIE Bot. According to a report from Cailian Press, Apple is looking forward to incorporating Baidu’s ERNIE Bot into iPhone 16 and other products that will be specific to the Chinese market. This action is a result of Apple’s attempts to abide by China’s more stringent rules regarding content created by AI.

According to the report, the Ernie Bot will be sued by Apple for the iOS 18 and MacOS in China. Reports suggest that before selecting Baidu, Apple had discussed this possibility with other Chinese companies like Alibaba and a Tsinghua University-affiliated AI company. Apple is probably staying with its internal AI model or Google’s Gemini outside of China, but in order to comply with Chinese rules, it is choosing to employ a locally designed solution inside the country.

This news is followed by Tim Cook’s recent visit to China. Cook acknowledged the efforts of Chinese suppliers for carbon neutrality. Furthermore, he assured the company’s commitment with the local Chinese market.  He announced a new applied research lab in Shenzhen and a research center in Shanghai. All such measures are taken by Apple after the decline of iPhone sales in the local Chinese market. Reportedly, the sales dropped by 24% year-on-year.

In Hong Kong, Baidu shares surged by 6% following rumors of a possible Apple-Baidu collaboration. Experts believe Baidu might benefit from this, not only in terms of promoting its Ernie Bot but also in terms of quickening the pace of its AI monetization initiatives and getting a leg up on rivals in China.

Apple has confirmed the schedule for its WWDC 2024 event. Reportedly, the event will be organized from June 10th to 14th.at the event, the company will announce the new iOS 18 with generative AI features. Perhaps the company might announce a dedicated AI App Store as well marking a significant shift in company’s strategy towards AI. The platform will offer AI apps from different developers.